


Postulates of Evolution

by mayawrites95 (mayarox95)



Series: Observational Equivalence [2]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Peter Parker, Dead May Parker (Spider-Man), F/M, Female Tony Stark, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Compliant, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Spider-Man: Far From Home (Movie), Steve Rogers Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29367276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayarox95/pseuds/mayawrites95
Summary: Peter Parker Stark-Rogers is excited to go to Europe on his class trip. But after everything that happened with Thanos, he can't help but feel like something is going to go wrong. And when a surprise visitor hijacks his trip, will Peter ever be able to save the day without the help of his parents? And can he win over the girl of his dreams?
Relationships: Harley Keener & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Pepper Potts/James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Peter Parker & Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Observational Equivalence [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941715
Comments: 7
Kudos: 54





	1. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's all ready to go, but why does he feel like everything's going to go horribly wrong

Peter Parker Stark-Rogers plopped down next to his best friend Ned before their chemistry final. But chemistry was the last thing on his mind. Not when he knew he had this in the bag.

Instead, he was more concerned with other pressing matters.

Well, pressing may have been a bit of an overstatement.

It had been a little over a year since Thanos had showed up. Something he’d learned had happened in fact for the second time, as the first time it happened, his parents had travelled back in time and stopped it from happening. Despite the fact that for him, and literally the rest of the world, it had only happened once.

The real details of what had happened had been kept tightly under wraps. Even to the world governments, Toni, Steve, and the other Avengers, had decided to hide the truth from them all, not wanting them to know how bad it had gotten, and wanting to keep the fact that they’d invented Time Travel to themselves, lest it fall into the wrong hands and be misused.

And he was just fine with that. The cover story itself, that Bruce and Thor had brought warnings of Thanos, had been enough for the rest of the world. And it was enough that people at school had bugged him for weeks after, wanting to know more details about what had happened. But he didn’t think he could ever talk about it. Not really. Not when he saw how haunted his mother and father had looked when they saw him after returning in time. Not when he knew they both still had nightmares of his and his little sister’s death.

Thankfully, it seemed as if the world was ready to move on.

And he was ready to be a teenager for once.

Which involved one particular thing he wanted to do more than anything.

“I have a plan,” he announced, knowing they still had about ten minutes before the exam started.”

Ned looked up at him curiously.

“Okay, first, I’m going to sit next to MJ on the flight,” Peter told him, and Ned nodded. “Second, I’m going to buy a dual headphone adapter and watch movies with her the whole time.”

He’d thought this through. He’d done research and everything.

“Third, when we get to Venice, Venice is super famous for making stuff out of glass, right?” he pitched, “So I’m going to buy her a Black Dahlia necklace, because her favorite flower is the Black Dahlia, because of, well-”

He cut off.

“The murder,” Ned agreed.

“The murder,” he repeated, “Fourth, when we get to Paris, I’m going to take her to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and give her the necklace.”

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t stay up late thinking it through. He’d done so much research trying to come up with the most perfect plan to get together with MJ.

And how could he not? His parents had such a beautiful love story. And Aunt May and Uncle Ben had loved each other more than anything in the world. He didn’t really know much about his birth parents, but from what his Aunt and Uncle had told him, they loved each other very much.

And he just wanted that for himself.

MJ was everything. She was smart and nice. She was sarcastic and jaded, but he knew that deep down, she was vulnerable. And well, she made him really happy.

“Then, fifth,” Peter continued, “I’m going to tell her how I feel. And if all goes well, then sixth, if I’m lucky, she’ll tell me she feels the same way about me too.”

“Right,” Ned nodded, “And then step seven.”

“Seven?” Peter said in confusion.

“Don’t do any of that,” he said simply.

Peter scrunched his eyebrows together.

“Why not?” Peter asked, a little put out. He’d done so much work to plan it through.

“Because we’re going to be bachelors in Europe, Peter!” Ned grinned, “Just think of how much fun the two of us can have. No parents, no rules, nothing.”

“You know there will still be rules right?” Peter asked him cautiously, “And you know who my mom is right? If she thinks I’m remotely in trouble, you can bet your ass that she’s going to know faster than you can blink.”

Ned sighed, “Look, Peter. I may not be as experienced as you. But I do know this: Europeans love American.”

Peter looked dubious about this.

“And more than half of them are women,” Ned nodded.

“Ned,” Peter sighed. “I really like MJ okay? She’s awesome, and funny in a dark way. And sometimes when I catch her looking at me, I feel like I stood up way too-”

He cut himself off, as he saw her approaching.

“Dude, she’s coming, don’t say anything, okay!” Peter said quickly.

“What up, dorks? Excited about the science trip?” MJ asked, sitting in front of them, as she turned her chair around.

“Right, uh, yeah the trip,” Peter nodded, “We were just talking about that.”

“Yeah, and Peter’s plan,” Ned said enthusiastically.

Peter wanted to hit him.

“You have a plan?” MJ asked, curiously.

He shook his head quickly, “I don’t have any plans!” Peter said, and MJ looked confused.

“No, he does!” Ned said again, and Peter wanted to groan, “He’s going to collect tiny spoons and stuff while we travel to other countries.”

Was that an innuendo?

Or was Ned just trying to be funny.

“Like a grandmother…?” MJ asked, unsure.

“I’m not collecting tiny spoons!” Peter’s voice cracked. “He’s collecting tiny spoons!”

“Uh, if you say so,” MJ said, looking over at the two of them confused, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk that much about tiny spoons. That was a real roller coaster.”

“Mm hm,” Peter said, trying to sound cool, but failing miserably.

“By the way,” MJ said, looking over at him, “You should probably download a VPN on your phone if you don’t have one already, just so the government can’t track you while we’re abroad.”

“None of those have anything on the one my mom has set up,” Peter sighed, “If only there was a way to keep her off my phone.”

“Yeah, I can’t help you with that,” MJ grinned, “Struggles of having a badass mother I guess.”

“Yeah, it’s the worst,” Peter joked, knowing it was anything but.

“I’m going to go sit up front so I can leave this hell hole quicker when I’m done,” MJ nodded at them, as the exam was about to start. “See you on the other side, Losers.”

“Bye,” Peter said quickly.

“Dude, I think that went really great!” Ned said, and Peter stared daggers at him.

* * *

Peter sat at the dining table with his family, which was turning into an entire ordeal, something that was far too common in their household.

While Morgan had been eating solid foods for a while now, getting Meg and Jamie to eat either of the baby foods was a challenge. It seemed like the twins always had a mind of their own, and what one liked, the other would refuse to eat, even if they liked it the day before.

“Morgan, try and get some of the spaghetti in your mouth, okay?” Toni sighed, as she fed a spoon full of mashed carrots to Jamie, who kept closing his mouth and squirming.

“Getti!” Morgan giggled as she lifted a piece of pasta to show to Peter.

“Very nice, Morg,” Peter grinned as he looked at his younger sister. He was envious at times that the three of them would be close in age growing up, when he was so much older than them, however he would always remind himself that he’d be able to be there for them through anything they went through.

“Mmm,” Meg squirmed away, as Toni tried with her.

“Come on, Sweetheart,” his mother urged, “Take a bite, please? You liked this yesterday! It’s really good.”

Harley snorted at that, “It’s mashed carrots. No one likes mashed carrots.”

Toni glowered at him, “If you don’t eat yours, then you can’t have any dessert. And I know Steve made something great for dessert.”

“Cannoli. Don’t forget to eat yourself, Toni,” Steve told her, as he placed a plate in front of her. He’d followed his mother’s recipe for the meal.

“I won’t,” she smiled at Steve, as he pressed a quick kiss to her lips, before sitting across from Peter.

“You guys are so gross and domestic,” Harley said from beside Peter as he shovelled a spoonful of pasta into his mouth.

“Aren’t we?” she grinned, “Doesn’t matter what time we’re in. We’re amazing together.”

He knew his mother was talking about her stint in the 1940s, something he still couldn’t wrap his head around. Apparently, his father had fallen so in love with his mother, that he begged her to leave her husband for him, not knowing that her “husband” was Steve in the future. It didn’t matter how much the story made Harley gag, Peter thought it was adorable.

“Eat up, kids,” Steve told him and Harley, “I’m going to be making the two of you run drills after dinner so you’re going to need your energy. Especially you, Peter. I know how quickly you burn through food. So make sure to bulk up, okay?”

He nodded as he let Steve put another serving of spaghetti on his plate, followed by a slice of garlic bread.

“I’m going to sit in on this one,” Toni added, “I have a few more simulations I’d like Harley to try. “It won’t be long now before you’re ready to be out in the field.”

“You’ve been saying that for weeks,” Harley groaned.

“I just want to make sure you’re fully ready,” Toni said firmly, “Besides. You are the next Iron Lad. Nothing is going to change that. Be it today or tomorrow, the suit belongs to you now. It’s a new dawn for superhero fighting.”

He still wasn’t all that convinced about his parent’s mutual decision to take a step back from fighting, but he understood it. The world was brimming with heroes now, and if they wanted to take a step back, then who could blame them? After the entire Thanos ordeal, it felt like their family was finally starting to heal and move on.

“Yeah, and maybe me and Spider-Man will finally be allowed to kick as…butt together,” Harley said, correcting his language as Steve shot him a look.

“That’s the dream,” Peter said solemnly, “Iron Lad and Spider-Man: crime fighting duo.”

“Iron Man,” Harley corrected, and Toni shook her head.

“Lad,” she amended.

Harley sighed, as he dug into his food.

“Abby’s gonna be so jealous she missed out on your spaghetti,” Harley said, taking a picture on his phone and Snapping it to his sister.

“Don’t taunt your sister, Harley,” Toni said in a warning voice, “Or you know she’s gonna be upset.”

Harley had moved to Boston last fall, to start studying at MIT, leaving behind his sister. Abby wasn’t that much younger than them, and he knew she wanted to move to the city after she was done school, but it didn’t help her fear of missing out when Harley could fly over to New York in less than twenty minutes, and she couldn’t. Especially on school nights.

“Peter, you’re barely eating,” Toni said softly, as she noticed him pushing his food around, “Is everything alright? Are you nervous about your trip?”

He sighed, “I’m fine, I promise,” he said, hoping they’d drop it.

Because he was excited for the trip! He was! He had a plan and everything to woo MJ. But there was a small part of him that wasn’t certain going was the best idea.

“Peter,” Steve said gently, “You don’t have to bottle things in. You know that. Talk to us.”

“I just am not sure it’s the best idea to go on a trip right now,” he said, a bit squirmish. “What if something happens, and I’m all the way over there? What if I can’t get back in time?”

He’d died in another version of their reality. He was gone. And it had broken his parents.

He’d seen his mother snap her fingers to defeat Thanos. He saw her disappear before his eyes. And in the seconds before she’d reappeared, he’d had a thousand thoughts running through his mind. All of which concerned him losing her.

He didn’t want something to happen to his family while he was across the ocean and feel helpless.

Steve and Toni exchanged a look, as Harley gave him a soft glance.

“Peter, I know you’re worried that something could happen,” Steve began, “But you can’t live your life in fear of not being able to help. I hated leaving our family too, and when Thanos first came, I was across the world. So I get it. But you can’t stop living because of the what-ifs.”

“You’re excited about this,” Toni added, “Go on this trip.”

“And win over the girl,” Harley teased.

“MJ?” Toni looked over at him curiously, and Peter’s ears turned red.

“Maybe?” he squealed out.

“I think that’s very sweet,” his father said, giving him a smile. “I’m sure she’s going to reciprocate your feelings.”

“You don’t know that,” Peter said as he stabbed his fork into the spaghetti, and twisting it firmly.

“I do,” his mom squeezed his hand. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you when you’re not looking. She likes you too, Pete.”

“If you say so,” Peter said, not really sure.

Because his parents were perfect together. They’d only had eyes for each other since they met. Even if it took them a while to get together. They were it for each other.

And he wondered if they remembered what it was like to have the anticipation of wondering if someone felt the same way about them.

“Mmmm,” Meg protested as Toni tried again to get her to eat a bite. “Mmm.”

She opened her mouth then, and Toni popped in a spoonful of food, stunning his youngest sister. To his surprise, Meg ate the carrots, swallowing it after a moment, instead of spitting it back out again. And when she looked curiously at the carrots, he knew Toni had won her battle.

Jamie, on the other hand, was happily eating the peas Steve was feeding him without any protest.

“One of these days, you’ll say your first word,” Toni smiled, “You’re so close to Mama. We’ll get there eventually.”

“Not if she decides to say Dada instead,” Steve teased her.

“No,” Toni shook her head, “There are two of them. One of them will say ‘Mom’, even if I have to bribe them.”

Peter snorted at that.

“Don’t you snort at me, Mister,” Toni shook the empty spoon that Meg had finally ate at him, “I still haven’t forgiven you for stealing Morgan’s first word from me.”

“All I did was encourage her to say ‘Peter’,” he said innocently. The fact that Morgan’s first word had been his name was still one of his crowning achievements, and well, he also enjoyed rubbing it into his parent’s faces.

“Oooh, do you think I could get her to say mine?” Harley’s eyes lit up, schemingly.

“Don’t you dare,” Steve said, and Harley laughed. “We won’t be blindsided again.”

“Nor will we be letting our guard down,” Toni agreed, looking over at Peter, “Now that we know not to trust our own kids, we’ll be keeping an eye on you. Both of you.”

“Miss, you have a call,” JARVIS said, interrupting them.

“We’ve talked about the Dinner Protocol, J,” Toni sighed, “No calls during dinner.”

“It’s Director Fury,” JARVIS said, and Toni looked over at Steve. “He claims it’s urgent.”

“You know he’s just going to keep calling if we ignore him,” Steve sighed, “Take the call.”

“I know,” Toni said, pulling out her phone, “Transfer the call, J, I’ll take it privately.”

“Transferred,” JARVIS said, as Toni answered, while stepping out of the room.

It wasn’t Peter’s fault that he had super hearing and could still hear the call, despite the fact that his mom had left the room.

“What is it, Fury?” Toni asked, “I’m in the middle of having dinner with my kids. No, I’m sure it is something urgent, but this isn’t a world ending event, last I checked. You have other people who can handle this. If it’s something magical then call Strange! He’s a reserve Avenger for a reason. I’m retired, and I’m staying retired. Nothing’s going to change my mind.”

“It’s not polite to eavesdrop,” Steve reminded him lightly, catching his gaze, and he knew that he’d been caught.

“I’m not doing it on purpose,” Peter protested, and Steve gave him a look, “Fine, I was a little curious. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, Darling,” Toni told Peter, as she came back into the room. “Nothing I couldn’t handle anyways. They don’t need us. Fury’s got this handled.

“I’m sure he does,” Steve nodded, “Strange can be in London in literal seconds, with the Sanctum or his portals. And even without him, there are others Fury can call. He doesn’t need us.”

“No, he does not,” Toni agreed, “No point dwelling on it. May as well finish our dinner in peace.”

“Peas!” Morgan agreed, and Toni smiled at her, as Morgan took a piece of spaghetti and put it into her mouth, getting sauce all over her face. Between his younger three siblings, there was food all over them, and he was more than sure that there would definitely be baths in their near future.

“Finish eating,” Steve prompted him, and Peter nodded, as he dug into his food.

He still wasn’t sure of whether going to Europe was a good idea, and now that it seemed that something was amiss, he was even less certain. But he also knew that his parents were right. He had to keep living his life, even if he was terrified of what the future could hold.

* * *

Peter was certain very few of the other teen arriving at the airport for their trip had both their parents escort them, but well, he supposed he was an exception.

It was an entire article in the New York Inquisitor that Peter had graduated and would be going on the trip, albeit on page 5, with the question in there that he knew so many others were asking: what was he going to do now that he was done school?

And in all honesty, he didn’t know.

He knew his Mom was hoping he’d join Harley at MIT, but that meant moving to Boston. Which meant leaving Queens.

And how could he leave the neighbourhood that he’d grown up in? That he’d watched over? It was where his Aunt and Uncle had lived in.

His family was in New York. His brother and sisters. How could he leave this all behind?

“You’re going to have a lot of fun on this trip,” his mother said, a lot more confident than he felt. “I remember my first trip to Europe with my friends. Well, I guess technically it was a business trip. And my friends were Pepper as my assistant, and Happy as my bodyguard. But it was a lot of fun. And I’m excited for you to go with your friends.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Peter said, looking at her earnestly. He knew how much they did for him, and there was not a day that he wasn’t grateful towards his parents.

“Call us every day, okay?” Steve said, pressing a kiss to his head. He could see his classmates gathering near security check, and he knew they were probably waiting for him to join them so they could go on their trip. But he didn’t want to rush this.

“I will,” he promised, as he wrapped his arms around his mother’s waist. Toni cupped his face gently as she kissed him on the head as well.

“Good,” Toni smiled, “Before you go, I have something for you.”

“You do?” Peter said, a bit confused, as she handed him a small box.

He opened it up and saw a pair of glasses.

“I don’t need glasses anymore,” Peter said in confusion, “Not since the bite, remember?”

“I know,” Toni grinned. “These aren’t any glasses. These are my glasses.”

“You mean?” Peter breathed, as he picked them up and tried them on. The lens lit up a blue colour, and he gasped.

“Hello Peter,” a female voice said, “I’m EDITH. Nice to meet you.”

“You gave me another AI?” he asked, surprised.

“She’s a bit more than just another AI,” Toni grinned, “She has direct access to SI and any resources you may need. I know you packed the suit, just in case. And I wanted you to have a way of heroing, even if you couldn’t suit up.”

“Why EDITH?” Peter asked, a little confused.

“Even Distanced I’m The Hero,” Toni grinned, “Just so you have a piece of me while you’re all the way over there.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Peter said with a grin.

“Use them responsibly,” Toni told him, “There’s a lot of power in them. So make sure to keep them safe, okay?”

“I will,” Peter said quickly. “I promise.”

He could feel eyes on him, and he looked up to see Flash watching their interaction carefully. His mother followed his gaze and glowered at the kid.

“Toni,” Steve said warningly, “You know you can’t repulsor a kid right? Especially not here in a public place, where there’s a lot of kids with cameras who could post it on the internet.”

“So you’re saying that it would be okay if there was no one watching?” Toni teased her husband. “I know. I won’t hurt him. But you can’t blame me for not liking the kid. You know how he’s treated our son all these years!”

“I know,” Steve said soothingly, as he stared over at Flash until the guy blinked and tried to look anywhere else but at them.

“You can’t beat him up either,” Peter said, with a small laugh. “With great power comes great responsibility.”

“You always were a smart kid,” Steve said, “Now we better get you over to your class, so you guys don’t miss the trip.”

Toni handed Peter his passport, as Steve dragged his suitcase over to the group.

“Mr and Mrs Stark-Rogers!” Mr Harrington said, a little startled, “Peter! Glad you could join us!”

“Take care of our kid,” Toni said giving the man a knowing look, and he could swear his teacher all but blinked, stunned.

“I’ll do my best,” Mr Harrington gulped.

“Have fun, Peter,” his mother said, as she pulled him in for a final hug.

“Stay safe,” Steve told him.

His parents gave him a final look, before turning to walk away, and Peter swallowed.

“I think it’s sweet,” MJ said as she rolled her suitcase over to him, “That your mom and dad came to drop you off.”

“They’re just worried about me,” Peter said with a sigh, “After everything that happened, they just want to make sure I’m going to be okay.”

He hadn’t been able to fully open up to Ned and MJ about everything that had happened. How could he when he wasn’t even fully sure what had happened? He didn’t like talking about it much, no matter how much his parents tried to get him to open up.

“Well, it’s more than my dad did,” MJ said, without really getting into it, and he glanced over at her curiously. She didn’t talk about her home life often, and he’d never pried. Not when he knew what it was like to have a lot going on that they couldn’t talk about.

She didn’t even know he was Spider-Man.

“PETER!” Ned said, coming up to them and wrapping an arm around his neck. “Are you ready? We’re gonna have so much fun!”

“I’m ready,” he grinned.

Only, it wasn’t fun. As they got on the plane, Peter had ended up next to Ned and through his friend’s mechanisms, everything had turned all skewy. After a game of musical airline seats, Peter was now beside Mr Harrington, and Ned beside Betty.

And MJ, who was with Betty, now sat next to Brad Davis, a kid who’d transferred to their school half-way through their senior year.

He watched his plan crumble before his very eyes, as Brad pulled out a headphone splitter, to watch a movie with her.

“Hey, I see you have one of those adaptors too,” Mr Harrington grinned, “How about we watch a movie?”

He didn’t think this trip could get any worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I’m back to do Homecoming! And what a ride it’s going to be.
> 
> I know Brad Davis shouldn’t exist in this verse, since there was no blip, but I decided to keep him anyways to add extra angst to Peter.


	2. Not According to Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was not how Peter thought his trip would go

Peter Parker Stark-Rogers was wrong.

The trip could indeed get much, much worse.

As they pulled up in front of their hotel room, he balked.

He wasn’t spoiled, in any means, despite the wealth his mother had. But staring at the hotel sign that was falling off the dingy building, he couldn’t help but feel like the perfect trip he’d planned out in his head was all falling to pieces.

“Looks like we’re here,” Mr Harrington announced, “They're doing some renovations to the place. Getting some upgrades.”

Was this what renovations looked like?

“This place is trash,” one of his classmates announced, taking the words right out of his mouth.

“That must be the concierge,” Mr Harrington said, ignoring him, as he got out of the boat they’d arrived in.

He followed his teacher inside, glancing over at MJ who seemed confused by the place.

“Everyone, here we are!” Mr Harrington said, stopping short as he stepped into a puddle of water.

“Oh, whoa,” Mr Dell, the other teacher accompanying the, said, looking a little rattled.

“This place is sinking,” Flash said, “Tell me we’re not staying here.”

“I think you meant charming!” Mr Harrington said, trying to sound optimistic.

“Okay everybody!” Mr Dell said, as he herded them inside, “Drop your bags off and we’re going meet at the Da Vinci museum at 3. Let's go!”

“Vamanos,” Mr Harrington said, in Spanish.

“It’s andiamo,” MJ corrected.

“Andiamo!” Mr Harrington corrected.

“When in Rome, you do as Romans do. When you’re in Venice, your socks get wet!” Mr Dell said, giving them all a fake smile.

Peter lugged his suitcase up the stairs to the third floor before throwing it onto the bed. Despite his super strength, he couldn’t just pick up the suitcase and carry it around like it was nothing, especially with the way the others were struggling with theirs.

But wouldn’t it be nice if he could’ve just picked up MJ’s and bring it to her room for her?”

He took his phone out, as he pressed the icon to call his Mom directly, knowing his parents would want to know that he got to the hotel safely. He’d texted them when he’d landed and promised to give them a call once he’d settled.

And well, given the hotel they were staying at, how settled could he really get?

“Peter,” Toni said in relief, “I was wondering when you were going to call.”

“You knew it was going to be a bit before he could,” Steve teased her, “He did just land two hours ago.”

“Yeah, and a lot of things can happen in two hours,” Toni said, as she looked him over on the screen. “Did you get any sleep on the plane?”

“Not really, no,” Peter admitted. But sleeping wasn’t the plan. Talking to MJ had been, and even with that completely shot, he’d still wanted to experience the full flying experience.

“Well, hopefully you can catch up tonight,” Steve said, “I looked over your itinerary, and seems like you guys are in for a busy day.”

“Can’t wait,” Peter said with a smile.

“Show us your hotel room?” Toni asked, and he was grateful that Ned had insisted on helping Betty get her luggage to her room, even if he’d struggled the entire time, as it gave him some privacy.

“Uh,” Peter said, knowing she’d be unhappy. But he clicked the button to turn his camera around, as he showed her around the room.

“Why does it look like your room is falling apart?” Toni said, a frown forming on her face, “Where do they have you staying? I want to look the place up.”

“Toni,” Steve said, warningly.

“Ah, I found it from your class’ trip details,” Toni said waving her husband off, as she brought up a hologram on her end of the hotel. Looking just as worn out as the place he was currently staying in right now

“They have you staying here?” Steve said, looking a little concerned.

“They couldn’t even find a better place?” Toni said, as she began typing on her screen.

“What are you doing?” Steve asked her, “You better not be hacking their trip plan to change the hotel room.”

“Would I do that?” his mom asked his dad innocently.

“Yes,” Peter deadpanned. “Don’t worry about it, Mom. It’s fine. Really. We’ll barely even be here anyways. Going to be too busy exploring Venice.”

“If you say so,” Toni said, looking less than convinced. “Then what’s on your mind? Cause clearly something’s bothering you.”

“I just had a lot of plans for how this trip was going to go,” Peter admitted, “With MJ. And it seems like it’s all falling apart. I thought I was the only one who liked her, but now Brad seems interested too, and what if she decides she likes him instead?”

“Oh Peter,” Toni sighed, “MJ likes you, Darling. I promise. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. And the two of you have a solid foundation. You have years of friendship, which is one of the most important things in a relationship. You just need to get out there and take a chance, even if she may say no. And if she decides she likes this Brad more than you, well then there are plenty of other fish in the sea.”

“I just had this long, well thought out plan,” Peter said, a little frustratedly, “To show her how much she means to me. But what if by then, it’s too late?”

“If the two of you are meant to be together, then you’ll be together,” Steve told him gently. “And nothing will be able to tear you apart. So follow through on your plan. But be flexible and make adjustments along the way. You know her best, so do what feels right for the two of you, okay?”

“Okay,” Peter nodded.

“We’ll talk to you later, okay, Sweetheart?” Toni smiled, “I know you guys are supposed to head out soon, and I’m sure you don’t want to spend all your time on the phone with us.”

“Bye Mom. Bye Dad,” Peter said, as he hung up the phone. He looked at his plan on his phone determinedly. He would not go down without a fight.

* * *

As they got to Saint Marco Polo’s Square, Peter watched as his classmates got wrapped up in the beauty of the place, while he looked around.

“What’s up, Flash Mob, how are you guys doing? I’m in Saint Marco Polo’s-” Flash was saying, before he doubled over in pain after being hit in the groin. The two women dressed up in costumes with him burst into laughter at that, and Peter couldn’t help but smile a little.

Ned and Betty were off getting their picture drawn as a couple, and he smiled, knowing their ‘Bachelors in Europe’ was now a thing of the past.

Mr Harrington was struggling to take a picture on his old time camera, and to his dismay, MJ was taking pictures with Brad Davis.

He sighed, as he walked over to the glass shop.

“Buongiorno,” Peter greeted, “I, uh, am looking for a glass necklace. Shaped like a black dahlia. Can you help me out?”

The shopkeeper looked at the picture on Peter’s phone and smiled, as he got to work. He was grateful they had an hour to spend at the square, as he waited for the design to be completed.

“Fiore Nero,” The shop keeper said after finishing the design, as he held up the black dahlia to the light.

“It’s perfect,” Peter grinned. He handed the shop keeper a banknote as he exited.

Only to nearly drop the necklace he’s just procured as MJ snuck up behind him.

“Boh!” she said loudly, causing him to jump.

“What?” he asked, puzzled, as he hid the bag behind him.

“Boh,” she repeated with a grin, “It’s the most perfect word in the world. Italians created it, and I just discovered it.”

“What does it mean?” he asked her curiously.

“That’s the thing, it can mean a million things,” she said, and he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked in the sunlight, “It can mean ‘I don’t know’, ‘get out of my face’, ‘I don’t know and get out of my face’. It’s the best thing Italy ever created, except for maybe espresso.”

“Oh,” Peter said teasingly, “So you’ve been drinking espresso.”

She shrugged, as a man came up from behind them.

“German?” he asked, “American?”

He was holding individual roses, as he held one out for MJ to take.

Peter wondered if he should get his wallet out so he could buy it for her and be romantic, but she simply grinned.

“Boh,” she said, and the man frowned as he left them alone.

“Whoa,” he said in surprise at the usage of the word.

“It’s my new superpower,” she grinned, and he felt himself warm.

Sometimes he wondered if she knew the truth about him.

“What, like Boh Man?” he asked with a laugh.

“It’s like the anti-aloha,” she said solemnly. “I was born to say this word... So, what’s in the bag?”

He tensed, “Uh. Boh.”

“Nice,” she said appreciatively, before pausing. He noticed a group of crabs quickly scurrying into the water, and MJ stopped to take a picture, smiling at him.

He felt his heart thump, before seeing water be dragged into a grate, and a feeling of unease washed over him.

Something was wrong.

The water erupted then, splashing up an unnatural wave, and the sounds of screams echoed through his ear drums. He could see people struggling to get away, as the water flooded onto the shore.

Ned and MJ’s boat crashed straight into a building beside them.

“Betty, are you okay?” he asked, helping his best friend’s girlfriend out of the boat. “Come on!”

He pulled Ned towards him, trying to get them away from the water.

The water rose up then, into the shape of a man, and Peter knew he’d made a mistake by not wearing his suit under his clothes for once.

“What is that?” Ned asked, panicking.

“I don’t know,” Peter said quickly.

“What are you going to do?” Ned questioned in distress.

“I left my suit in the hotel room,” Peter said frustratedly. It was too far to go back and get it.

“Why?” Ned asked, in a higher pitched tone.

“Because I’m on vacation, Ned!” he exclaimed frantically, “Everyone’s gonna see my face, just get them outta here!”

He pushed his friend towards MJ and Betty, trying to get them to leave, as the water monster smashed its fist into a building, destroying it.

He ran down to the boats, trying to help people off of them.

“Get out of here. Go!” he said, helping a man towards the stairs, before turning back to the building. Maybe he could wrap his shirt around his head as a sort of hood.

He still had his web shooters, which was at least something.

He stumbled backwards then, as the monster crashed a wave towards him, and he tried not to get washed away by the water.

“Oh my God!” he said, as he took a deep breath, and turned on his web shooters. “Come on!”

He turned around the corner, as he aimed a web to the monster. But to his dismay, since there wasn’t anything of substance to hold onto, the web just moved through it.

“What am I going to do?” he muttered, “What would Mom and Dad do?”

The monster headed towards a bridge then, filled with people, and he knew they would be in danger if he couldn’t get to them.

“Oh no you don’t!” he said, as he jumped across the poles in the water, grabbing a peddle to vault onto the bridge.

He helped a man up as he landed, clearing the last of the people just in time for the monster’s fist to collide with the bridge, knocking him backwards.

He felt the water in his lungs, as he coughed it up, struggling to catch his breath.

He saw the green light shooting at the monster before he saw the man appear out of the mist, wearing a cape, and a glass bowl over his head that looked like a fortune teller’s ball.

The masked man dodged the water monster’s attacks, with powers that looked all too reminiscent of Doctor Strange’s own powers.

He spotted a mask on the ground then, a souvenir masquerade one that would do very little to hide his identity. But it was better than nothing.

He put it on quickly, as he climbed up to the top of the building, spotting the man fighting the monster.

“Excuse me, Sir!” he said, trying to get his attention. “I can help! Please! I’m really strong and I’m sticky.”

He winced at the last part, knowing that it might not help his case. But thankfully, the masked man nodded quickly.

“I need you to lead it away from the canals,” the man said, seemingly having a plan. So Peter obliged.

He landed on a nearby roof, just before the monster smashed a building next to it, and he used the momentum he’d gained to swing around the building, holding the monster together.

He spotted a bell tower then, looking on the verge of collapse after the man and the monster fought past it, as it hovered dangerously over a group of people.

“Oh, come on!” he said, knowing that if it crashed, they’d be in for it.

He swung quickly around it, webbing it together as he looked down at the fight below.

Only for the man to send a blast that hit the tower again, nearly bringing it crashing down once more.

He shot a web then, attaching the tower to two buildings.

As the monster crashed into the tower this time, and Peter hit his head on the bell above him.

He groaned in pain, as the tower began to fall, and as he hit his head once more, he accidentally released the webs he was holding,

He released two more webs, struggling to hold the tower together, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before it crashed down.

But there was no Toni to save him this time. Not like she had on the ferry. He needed to keep it together.

A force of air burst past him, and he released the webs then, as the Tower crashed onto the ground, thankfully, away from the people.

It seemed as if the man had destroyed the monster, and Peter saw him land in front of a gathering crowd.

He reached into his pocket, checking on the necklace he’d got for MJ and was relieved to find it still in one piece.

And just like that, the new hero took off flying, leaving a tail of green smoke behind him.

* * *

He wasn’t surprised when his dad called him less than a few hours after the attack.

“Peter, are you okay?” Steve said the second Peter answered the call, “I saw the footage of the attack. You were in that tower when it collapsed.”

“I’m fine, Dad,” he said with a quick smile as he closed the door, wanting to make sure he wasn’t overheard. “My ego’s more bruised than anything.”

“You did the best that you could,” Steve reassured him, “You didn’t have your suit on you, and you made a makeshift disguise. It was real quick thinking of you.”

“It wasn’t enough,” Peter said, a bit frustratedly. “I wouldn’t have been able to contain the water monster by myself. Not if that man didn’t show up when he did.”

“All that matters is that everyone is safe,” Steve told him gently. “You made the best of a bad situation, and you came out on top.”

“He was the real hero,” Peter sighed, “I’m never going anywhere without my suit ever again.

“Maybe you can talk to your mom about making one for you with nanobots,” Steve mused, “Then it’ll be a lot more discrete for you to carry around. And you won’t have to worry about it accidentally showing through your clothing or anything.”

He perked up at that, “Do you think she’d let me wear one?” he questioned, and Steve grinned.

“Please, you know she’d love the chance to go into the lab with you and work on it,” his dad laughed, “I wouldn’t be surprised if she already has some designs drawn up for it.”

“Where is Mom, anyways?” he questioned, knowing it was odd that she hadn’t been there on the call.

He just hoped that she wasn’t halfway across the world already in her suit to come check on him.

“She’s trying to get to the bottom of what caused the attack,” Steve said with a sigh, “Water monsters don’t just come out of nowhere. If there was one, there’s a very decent chance that there’ll be more, and she doesn’t want you in the line of fire if there’s another attack. Or not as caught off guard, anyways.”

“I was hoping that would be the last of it,” Peter sighed, “I really don’t want to face any more of those monsters.”

“We’ll figure out what’s happening,” Steve promised him. “We may not be on the field anymore, but we still have many contacts that are. And Strange has already promised to pop in if anything happens again, so you won’t be fighting it alone. One way or another, we’ll learn the truth.”

“Thanks, Dad,” he said with a smile, as Steve nodded at him. He was grateful to have them in his life and that they were doing so much to make sure that he was okay.

“I’ll let you go join your friends now,” Steve said, “We’ll let you know what we find out.”

He said goodbye to his dad as he ended the call. He knew his friends were gathered downstairs, so he tucked his phone into his jean pockets and made his way down the stairs.

He could see his classmates gathered in front of the television, and he slid into a free chair beside Betty and Ned who were cuddling on an aim chair.

“It’s aliens,” Ned said, looking over at Betty, “It has to be. I mean we already know they exist right? Look at Thor! And clearly whatever that was, it was nothing from this earth.”

“Buzzfeed says there’s a sailor named Morris Bench who was exposed to an experimental underwater generator and got hydro powers,” Flash said, looking at his phone.

It seemed as if the world was getting crazier each day. If he could have spider powers, then was it so unreasonable that someone else had water-powers?

“Yeah, you should definitely believe everything you read on the internet.” MJ deadpanned, and Peter stifled a laugh.

“Spider-Man could take him,” Flash said loyally, before giving Peter a dirty look, “When did you get here, Dickwad? I thought you drowned.”

He rolled his eyes at the duality of the guy who loved one side of him and disliked the other.

“What do you think it is?” Mr Harrington was talking to Mr Dell too quietly for the rest of the students to hear.

“You know, being a man of science,” Mr Dell said back, “Witches.”

The screen changed then, showing a cellphone shot of the man who’d defeated the water monster.

“Who is that guy?” Betty questioned.

“He’s like Iron Woman and Thor rolled into one,” Brad said in admiration, looking over at MJ who was still watching the television.

“He’s all right. He’s no Spider-Man,” Flash scoffed, and Peter let out a small smile. Even if it was Flash, it was nice to have someone still support him after the catastrophe that was today.

“What is it with you and Spider-Man?” MJ rolled her eyes, and Flash got defensive quickly.

“What? He’s just awesome, okay? He protects the neighborhood, and you know, he’s inspiring. He inspires me to be a better man,” Flash gave a speech, and Ned nodded in admiration.

In all honesty, he was surprised that Ned had managed to go so long without revealing the truth about him, knowing that it had been hard for his friend to keep it a secret.

“Sounds like his name’s Mysterio,” Brad nodded at the tv, talking as if he understood the anchorwoman.

“ _L’uomo del Misterio_ is Italian for man of mystery,” MJ corrected. “They don’t actually know who he is.”

“Mysterio,” Ned said, looking over at Betty before they both spoke at the same time, “Cool name! Babe!”

Betty beamed at him.

“So, how much did you actually see?” he asked her curiously.

“Not much,” she admitted, “I was running.”

“Right,” Peter nodded quickly, “Right, me too. I was also running. Away!” He tried to change the subject then quickly, “So, Paris tomorrow. Go to the Eiffel Tower. Should be great.”

He glanced back over at her, wanting to see if she was interested in going. Now that he had the necklace, he was excited to be able to give it to her, hopeful that she would appreciate all the work he’d put into it.

“Yeah, I read it was secretly built as a mind-control antenna to create an army of the insane,” MJ nodded, and he felt his heart drop.

“Oh,” Peter said, feeling disappointed. Why did it feel as if nothing was going according to plan?

“Which is why it’s my favourite destination on the whole trip,” she grinned.

He smiled back at her, feeling his heart in his chest once more, as they both quickly looked away from each other.

“Okay, that’s enough excitement for one night!” Mr Harrington said, standing up, “Time for bed! We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

He glanced back at MJ once more, before he and Ned trudged up the steps to their room.

“So what are you going to do about the water monster?” Ned asked him the moment the door closed.

“Nothing,” Peter said simply, “It’s dead. That Mysterio guy had it handled, didn’t you see?”

He sighed.

“I just want to spend some time with MJ,” he admitted after a moment, “We were talking about Paris and, Ned, I think she really likes me.”

“Duh,” Ned grinned, “That’s nice. Reminds me of when Betty and I first fell in love. I had just finished my fruit cobbler, right-?”

Ned cut out then, as he collapsed onto the bed, a dart in his neck.

He stood up quickly and saw none other than the legendary Nick Fury standing in a dark corner of his room.

“Nice to finally meet you, Spider-Man,” Fury said, and Peter dropped his bag.

“You’re Nick Fury,” Peter said, looking down at his friend, “And you just shot Ned!”

“It’s a mild tranquilizer. He’ll be alright,” Fury waved him off. “So good to finally meet the prodigy that the Stark-Rogers were hiding away. I saw you at the post-Thanos celebration. But didn’t think your parents would be pleased if I talked to you then.”

“Do my Mom and Dad know you’re here now?” he questioned, “Because I’m not sure they’ll be pleased to know that you’re here to see me now.”

“They’re retired,” Fury shrugged, “You, on the other hand, are not.”

“I’m still technically a minor,” Peter reminded him, “Until August.”

“A superhero who needs to get his parents’ permission,” Fury said sarcastically. “The important thing is, you’re here. I wanted to bring you and your parents here. They avoided me, and now, you’re here. What a coincidence.”

“Wait. Was this a coincidence?” Peter asked, confused. Because last he checked the trip had been planned for months.

“I used to know everything,” Fury told him, “Then all of a sudden, your parents apparently invented time travel, and now I know nothing. It was as if something changed that I couldn’t explain. And I couldn’t even get them on the line. Here’s what I do know... a week ago, a village in Mexico was wiped out by a cyclone. Witnesses say that cyclone had a face.”

Ned snored then, interrupting Fury’s story.

“Three days later, a similar event in Morocco. A village was-” Fury stopped, as he was cut off by a knock on the door

“Just making the rounds. See if anyone needs any emotional counseling after today’s traumatic event,” Mr Harrington said through the door, and Fury pointed his dart gun at Peter’s teacher.

“No, we’re okay!” Peter said quickly, “We’re fine. Thank you!”

“Great,” Mr Harrington said in relief. “Cause I’m not qualified to actually...”

Ned’s snoring continued.

“Oh,” Mr Harrington said in surprise, “I hear that Ned’s passed out. I’m not really qualified to do it anyway, so... good night.”

“That was my teacher,” Peter turned to Fury, “Sorry about that. You were saying?”

“A village was destroyed by what may well be another world-threatening...” Fury said, only to be cut off again by another knock.

“Babe?” Betty asked, “You still awake? You’re not answering any of my texts.”

“He’s asleep, Betty,” Peter called out, not wanting to open the door.

“Oh, already?” Betty said disappointed. “Okay.”

“That’s why it’s imperative- Fury repeated, as there was a third knock.

“Hey, boys! So, that canal water today was filled with dangerous bacteria-” Mr Dell said, and Fury stood in annoyance.

“Another person touches that door, you and I are going to attend another funeral,” Fury said, and Peter knew that they were going to leave, “Suit up.”

“-Let me know if either of you develops vomiting,” Mr Dell continued.

“No we’re fine, Mr Dell,” Peter said, as he nodded at Fury and pulled his suit out of his luggage. He sighed as he looked down at the black dalia in its pouch still, and hoped that he’d be back so he could give it to MJ on top of the Eifel Tower like he’d planned.

But being a superhero meant the world came first.

And it seemed as if the world would need to continue to come first.


	3. Mysterio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter meets the man behind the mystery

Peter swallowed as he followed Nick Fury into the underground base. He was still wearing his suit, not wanting anyone to find out who he was.

It was a secret identity for a reason.

If Fury could read his mind, he turned then to look at Peter.

“You can lose the mask. Everyone here’s seen you without it,” Fury told him, “You’d only be feigning anonymity and breathing through spandex for no good reason.”

“Might I suggest you wear the glasses your mother gave you?” KAREN said through his suit and Peter gratefully agreed with his AI’s suggestion. He put on the glasses, and Fury gave him a pointed look, though he did not say anything about it.

The mask was more than just a disguise. It was a way for him to scan points of interest, connect him to his AI directly, and have all the amazing features Toni had put into his suit.

He looked around the base, taking a deep breath.

“Come on,” Fury urged him on through the underground tunnels. He looked around curiously at the makeshift lab that SHIELD had set up, filled with computers and men with guns.

“You’ve met Maria Hill, I assume,” Fury said, pointing at the woman who’d run SHIELD while Fury was supposedly dead. And he had, in passing, he supposed. He’d definitely seen her talking to his mother around the Tower, even if he didn’t know what she did.

“That is Dimitri,” Fury pointed out a man with a ponytail and a gun.

“And this, is Mr Beck,” Fury said, as Peter froze. He saw a man wearing the same suit he’d seen earlier turn around slowly towards Peter.

Why did the name Beck sound familiar?

He searched his brain, trying to figure out where he’d heard it before, but he drew a blank instead.

“Mysterio?” Peter questioned.

“What?” Beck said, looking at Peter intensely. As if he knew something that Peter didn’t.

He wasn’t all that sure he enjoyed that look.

“Doesn’t matter,” Peter said quickly, “It’s just what my friends have been calling you.”

“Well,” Mr Beck said, “You can call me Quentin.”

He reached out to shake the man’s hand, as he looked over the new hero. The man’s suit glowed a vibrant blue, similar to how Toni’s had done.

He wondered if that was intentional.

“You handled yourself well out there today. I saw what you did with the tower. We could use someone like you on my world,” Mysterio said, and Peter froze.

“Thanks. Sorry, your world?” Peter questioned.

Was Mysterio saying what Peter thought he was saying?

“Mr Beck is from Earth. Just not ours,” Fury told Peter.

“There are multiple realities, Peter. This is Earth, Dimension 618. I'm from Earth 833,” Quentin told him.

“I’ve discussed multiverse theory with Mom, Aunt Ava, and Bruce so many times, but I didn’t think it was actually a thing. Cause I thought that was just theoretical. That completely changes how we understand the initial singularity. We're talking about an eternal inflation system and how does that even work with all the quantum-? It's insane-”

He cut himself off, realizing that the SHIELD agents around him were not as interested in the science.

Right.

This was not the same as talking science in the Tower.

“Don’t ever apologize for being the smartest one in the room,” Beck said, and he looked at the man curiously. That was something very much like what his mother would say to him.

Did he know her? Back on his world?

“Anyways,” Maria Hill said, as she activated a hologram.

“They were born in stable orbits within black holes. Creatures formed from the primary elements: Air, water, fire, earth. The Science Division had a technical name. We just called them Elementals,” Mysterio told them, as holograms of the creatures appeared.

“Versions of them exist across our mythologies,” Hill confirmed, showing sources from history.

“Turns out, the myths are real,” Quentin said

“Like Thor and Loki. Thor was a myth and now I study him in my physics class. I visit them in New Asgard on weekends,” Peter said, a bit startled.

“These myths are threats,” Fury said firmly, walking around the table, looking very unimpressed by Peter’s commentary.

“They first materialized on my Earth many years ago. We mobilized and fought them, but with each battle, they grew, got stronger. I was part of the last battalion left trying to stop them. All we did was delay the inevitable,” Quentin said, sounding pained.

“The Elementals are here now, attacking the same coordinates. Our satellites confirm it,” Hill said.

“So thank Mr. Beck for destroying the other three. There's only one left: fire,” Fury said.

“The strongest of them all. The one that destroyed my Earth. It's the one that took my family,” Quentin said, as the earth on the hologram crumbled in an orange blaze.

“I’m sorry,” Peter swallowed. He knew what it was like to lose loved ones. Probably better than most.

“And it will be in Prague in approximately 48 hours,” Hill said, fidgeting slightly.

“We have one mission: kill it,” Fury said, looking at Peter directly, “And you're coming with us.”

He froze then.

He knew that this was bad. Like world ending bad. And if the threat really was that serious, was he even enough to contain it? He could barely hold the water monster off.

This seemed like the kind of thing his parents should be brough in for.

“I'm sorry. Did you say Prague?” Peter laughed nervously, “Mr. Fury, this all seems like bigtime, you know, huge superhero kind of stuff. And, I mean, I'm just a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, sir.”

“Bitch, please,” Fury rolled his eyes, “You went to space in another timeline. In this one, you certainly globetrotted enough. Plus you were Spider-Man earlier today, even without the suit.”

“I know, but it’s not like I went in this timeline, was it?” Peter stalled, “Mom and Dad stopped that from happening this time around. Sir, come on. I’m hardly the best choice for this. What about Loki and Thor? New Asgard isn’t that far from here.”

“Thor and Loki off world,” Fury said, “They left Brunnhilde in charge. And she’s not answering my calls.”

“Doctor Strange?” he questioned, “Mom said he’d be over in an instant if I needed him.”

“Unavailable,” Fury said simply, and Peter balked at that.

“I’m sure I could call him and ask him to help,” Peter tried, “And if this thing is really that serious, I’m sure Mom and Dad would be more than happy to help.”

“They made it clear they thought we could handle this,” Fury said simply.

“Captain Marvel?” he tried, remembering the woman he’d met briefly while fighting Thanos.

“Don't invoke her name,” Fury said simply.

“Where are Harry and Natasha?” he said, looking around the room, “If this thing really is this serious, shouldn’t you have at least brought them in as well?”

“They’re doing field work for something else,” Fury said, “They’re in Brazil. Just because the world might end doesn’t mean that everything can afford to fall to pieces in the case that it doesn’t.”

Peter let out a frustrated breath.

Why were they trying to corner him into this? He wasn’t the only hero in the world. The reason Toni and Steve stepped down was because they both knew there were more than enough heroes in the world.

Plus everyone in the world knew Peter was on this trip. Or at least, it wasn’t a secret.

And if Spider-Man made an appearance in Europe, while Peter was in Europe, it certainly would start rumours. Or at least another Buzzfeed video conspiracy.

“Sir, look,” Peter said, taking in a deep breath. “I want to help you. But I can’t just leave my class trip. I need to tell my parents. And we both know they aren’t going to sit this out if they know I’m fighting. And what about my secret identity? If I’m seen like this in Europe, especially after what happened in Washington, my whole class will figure out who I am. The world will figure out who I am. And then it’s over. There are others you can call. Perhaps you should try them again.”

“Okay, I understand,” Fury said simply, and Peter looked confused.

“I’m sorry, what?” Peter said, a little shaken.

“Why don't you get back before your teachers miss you and become suspicious. Dimitri. Take him back to hotel, please,” Fury said simply.

“Thank you,” he said a bit relieved, “And good luck. I’m sure Doctor Strange will be more help than me anyways.”

As he was escorted out, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief that at least it was the end of that.

Or so he thought.

* * *

Of course, it was not the end of that.

Turns out, the “tour company” had upgraded their package to send them to Prague.

He knew better than that.

He sighed, as he pulled out the glasses his mother had given him, pausing as he looked at a note on the inside. Something he’d missed in the bunker.

“For my genius oldest son,” he read, “I trust you. PS don’t tell JARVIS I said that.”

He swallowed.

He knew he’d miss his parents, but he didn’t think he’d miss them this much.

“EDITH,” he said, as the screen lit up. He hadn’t needed to activate them last night, so this was the first time he was really using them since his mother had given it to him.

“Stand by for retinal and biometric scan,” the female voice said, as a scan of his face appeared, “Retinal and biometric scan accepted.”

“Hello, Peter. I am EDITH, Toni Stark-Rogers' augmented-reality security and defense system,” the AI spoke to him.

Whoa.

He knew the glasses had power, but this was some high-tech stuff.

And his mother had entrusted them to him?

“Did she make you for me?” he asked curiously.

“No,” EDITH shut him down. “But you have access to all of your mother’s protocols.”

“Cool,” he breathed out, pushing the glasses further up his face.

“Would you like to see what I can do?” she questioned, “I have access to the entire Stark Global Security network including multiple defense satellites as well as back does to all major telecommunication networks.”

Well.

His mother wasn’t lying when she said she wanted him to have the glasses to keep him safe.

He knew how powerful all those satellites were.

Immediately, he could see what everyone was doing on their phones.

Whoa.

“Is MJ texting?” he asked, before immediately regretting it, “No wait, I don’t want to see that. That’s wrong. That’s wrong.”

He looked over at Betty and Ned who were texting about how much they missed each other.

He shook his head, happy for his friends but not needing to see that.

The bus came to a stop then, as Dimitri, their new apparent bus driver, called out, “Petrol and toilet! Ten minutes!”

He saw Flash begin to live stream while Mr Dell frantically looked for the bathroom.

“Ten minutes, everyone!” Mr Harrington called out, “Dimitri, where exactly are we? Yeah, okay I guess I’ll figure it out myself.”

Peter was the last off the bus, as Dimitri stopped him. He looked at the man, who was pointing to a building where a woman was standing.

“Peter,” the Asian woman said, as she looked at him.

“Do I know you?” he frowned.”

“No,” she quirked her lips up, “But I know your mother, indirectly. I’m Agent May. Nice to meet you. Close the door.”

“Uh, okay,” he said, with a bit of a frown.

“Now, take off your clothes,” she said, and he took a step backwards.

“Excuse me?” he asked. Even if she knew his mother, that was a weird request.

“You told Fury Spider-Man cannot be seen in Europe. So we made you another suit,” she responded, as she pulled out a folded black suit.

“Okay, that makes a bit more sense,” he said, as he took the suit from her. “Uh, do you mind if I don’t change here?”

“Do you see anywhere else where you could change?” she questioned him, and he knew she was right.

“Look, I just don’t really want you to see me undress,” he said, looking anywhere but at her. He may have been in better shape since superhero training, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be one of those guys who stripped down every chance they got.

“We don’t have long, Stark-Rogers,” she said, “And I’m sure you don’t want anyone on that bus to see you with a suit. Would defeat the point of getting you a new one, wouldn’t it?”

“Fine,” he said, “Can you at least turn around, please?”

She sighed, before obliging, as he pulled down his pants, right as Brad walked into the room.

He could see Agent May reach behind her and he wondered what it was about SHIELD agents and trying to shoot all his classmates.

“No! Don’t!” Peter said, as he gestured for Brad to stay put.

“Whoa,” Brad said, reading the situation completely differently, and Peter froze.

Well.

Crap.

“Sorry?” Brad said, giving him a scrutinizing look, “I thought this was the bathroom.”

“This is not what it looks like!” he said, struggling to come up with any explanation that was not what Brad thought it was, or the truth.

“Mmhm,” Brad said, lifting his phone out to take a photo.

Could today get any worse?

“What are you doing?” Peter panicked.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Brad said, and Peter struggled to pull his pants up.

“I won’t shoot your friend, but it looks like we’ve run out of time,” May said, “Tell your mother Coulson and I say hi.”

“Uh right, will do,” Peter said, running out of the building. “Brad! Wait! It’s not what it looks like!”

“Look, Peter, I’m not here to judge your life’s choices, Dude,” Brad said, amused, “If you wanna hook up with some random European chick on our school trip, that’s on you.”

He balked at that.

That was not what he wanted to do this trip.

That was not even close.

“No, that’s not what that was. Honestly,” Peter tried, but Brad did not look like he was buying it.

“I can’t pretend I didn’t see what I just saw. I know you’re trying to get with MJ. It’s obvious. But I like her too,” Brad said simply, and Peter froze.

Was Brad going to do what Peter thought he was going to do?

“Brad. Wait a minute! You can’t show her that photo, Dude! Come on!” Peter said with a sense of urgency.

If MJ saw that photo, then it was over. Any chance he had of wooing the girl of his dreams would be long gone, and instead, she’d be with Brad Davis.

He needed to delete that photo before MJ could see it.

He made his way back onto the bus, as he pulled his glasses back on. Maybe he could get EDITH’s help in hacking into the glasses.

“EDITH?” he asked, and she lit up immediately.

“Hellow, Peter, how can II help you?” EDITH asked her.

“Hey,” he said, a bit unsure, “There’s a guy who keeps cutting into everything I wanna do with MJ.”

He knew he was a bit quiet, but he

“Peter, I am having difficulty hearing you,” EDITH said, “Can you please speak up?”

He looked around, and thankfully no one seemed to be paying attention to him.

“Brad Davis,” he said, a little louder, quickly glancing around, “He has a photo of me.”

“Brad Davis,” Edith repeated, “Is he a target?”

Peter thought about it, “Uh. Is he a target?”

He looked up to where Brad was, sitting at the back of the bus, glancing over at MJ. He knew from EDITH that he had the photo of Peter open on his phone, and he was just waiting for the opportunity to show it to her.

“Yeah,” he said a bit decisively, “He’s a target.”

“Copy that,” EDITH said, “Target is Brad Davis. Initiating strike.”

He froze.

What strike?

“Initiating what now?” he squeaked.

“Intercept point determined. Releasing field vehicle,” EDITH said.

“EDITH!” he cut in. “Oh my God.”

He looked behind the bus and saw something headed their way. As he took off the glasses, Flash, of course, chose that moment to take them from him.

“Dope glasses, Parker!” Flash commented, “Are they a gift from your parents? Cause these are great.”

“Flash, give them back!” he said frantically. He needed to cancel the strike. Otherwise they were all going to die.

“No, no, no. I'm really paying you a compliment,” Flash said, unaware of the catastrophe that was about to strike them all in less than a few moments if Peter didn’t put a stop to this immediately.

He reached out for the glasses, trying to grab them back.

“Please, Flash! Give them back!” he reached out for them again, and accidentally slapped Flash unconscious. “I’m so sorry!” he whispered in disbelief.

“EDITH, don’t kill Brad!” he said desperately, as he put them back on.

Of course, at that moment, his mother chose to call him.

“Answer call,” he said, praying she’d know how to stop this.

“Peter, how come I got a notification saying EDITH saying you activated a strike on a school bus in Austria that you’re apparently on, when you’re supposed to be in Paris,” Toni asked him, without even greeting him.

“It’s a long story! Mom, I made a mistake, please, I need you to cancel it!” he said desperately.

“I’m on it already,” she told him, “Now I still want an explanation. Why weren’t the parents notified of the change in your itinerary? How are we supposed to keep track of where you are if the school doesn’t tell us?”

“Firing,” EDITH said, as Peter quickly webbed the steering wheel of the bus, turning it quickly so the bus would dodge the bullet.

Dimitri swerved the bus, as the bullet hit the mirror. The bus crashed into the guard rail, as everyone seemed to be staring at him while he stood.

“Commencing second strike,” EDITH said.

“Peter, you better plant your fanny down in your seat right now,” Mr Harrington said, looking up at him.

“I’ve almost cancelled it,” Toni said to him, “Give me thirty more seconds. I added a lot of protections into those things that I need to crack because I wanted you to be the only one who could access EDITH. Of course, I have a few back doors, but I need a moment.”

He needed to stall, and he needed to get all the attention off of him.

“Look at the baby mountain goats!” he said, pointing off to the side, as immediately every looked over to see them.

He leapt out of the emergency exit and webbed the drone, bringing it crashing onto the road.

“I’ve cancelled all other strikes,” Toni said, as he landed back in the bus before anyone could notice him.

“Don't see any mountain goats,” Mr Harrington said, a bit disappointed.

He let out a quick breath, “You missed them,” he said simply, before sitting back down, wondering how much trouble he was in.

“Explanation, now,” his Mother demanded through the glasses.

“I need to delete a photo on Brad Davis’ phone first,” he said frantically, as he had EDITH pull up Brad’s camera roll and deleted the photo.

Toni patiently stayed on the line, and he knew she was watching him.

Once he was done, he sighed.

“We were supposed to go to France, but SHIELD took over the trip so we’d go to Prague instead,” Peter said, wincing.

“I’m sorry, did you say SHIELD?” his mom said. “Perhaps you need to start at the beginning. Does this have to do with the water monster attack?”

“Yes,” he said, looking around to make sure no one was listening, which thankfully they weren’t. “Mr Fury showed up in my room last night and took me to his secret base. They want to bring me in. Turns out this happened on another earth, and Mysterio, the hero who fought them yesterday, came from that Earth to make sure it doesn’t happen to ours.”

“He’s from a different world?” Toni said sharply.

“Yeah, I mean I know we talked about multiverse theory, but this is something else! Apparently there’s going to be another attack in Prague.”

“Why didn’t they call Strange?” Toni said sharply, “Elementals seem like his kind of thing.”

“Fury said he was unavailable,” Peter shrugged.

“Yeah, no, I talked to him yesterday after the attack. He was going to check it out before Mysterio showed up. He promised he’d keep an eye out for you to make sure nothing happened,” Toni mused.

“Maybe then he can come help out with Prague,” Peter said.

“So the drone strike?” Toni probed.

“Agent May showed up to our rest stop,” he told her, “She says hi by the way. She gave me a new suit and wanted me to put it on in front of her. And Brad came in when I was changing and though that I was just trying to get together with her and took a photo to show MJ, because he also likes MJ!”

“Breathe, Peter,” his mother instructed, and he paused to take a breath. “It’s okay. I’m going to be having a lot of words with Fury about his actions, but that’s for another day. I gave you EDITH because I trust you. I still trust you. But she’s a powerful tool. For more than hacking into kids’ phones, okay? Use it wisely.”

“I know,” he said, feeling put out. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again, I promise.”

“I know you won’t,” Toni said gently, “I also know that you’re a good kid. And that MJ likes you as you are. You don’t need to have some sort of dashing plan to win her over, just because that was what Steve did for me. Just be yourself and tell her how you feel. It’ll work itself out.”

“I know,” he sighed. “Thanks Mom.”

“Anytime, Sweetheart,” she said, “Keep me in the loop about Prague, okay? I can fly over there in a few hours if you need me.”

“I will,” he promised, as he ended the call. He didn’t want to have to bring her into this, when she’d retired, but he was grateful to know that she’d be by his side if he needed her.

He slumped back down into his seat, as he took the glasses off. Perhaps a nap wouldn’t be a bad idea.

* * *

“Parker Stark-Rogers!” he heard a voice call out through the darkness, “Parker Stark-Rogers! Why your parents gave you such an obnoxiously long name, I’ll never know.”

He blinked his eyes at the room in front of him, in what once again, in another makeshift SHIELD base.

They’d arrived in Prague a few hours before, in a hotel that was much nicer than what they’d stayed at before, and he wondered if this time it were his mother or SHIELD pulling the strings. Because he’d known that she was displeased at their accommodations in Venice.

“Yes, Sir?” he asked, not entirely sure what he was doing here.

It had been Toni’s idea to let him take all three names, and while it was obnoxious at times, he loved it.

“That thing’s going to be here in a few hours,” Fury said, giving him a dark look, while perched up on a chair, “Are we boring you?”

“He’s not bored,” Quentin came to his rescue, “He’s just thinking about how you kidnapped him.”

Because Fury had all but hijacked his trip to Europe with his classmates and taken the plan that was supposed to be his romantic Eifel Tower excursion with MJ and ripped it to shreds.

“He had obstacles,” Fury deadpanned, “And I removed them.”

“They still won't evacuate the city,” Hill cut in, bringing them back to the topic at hand.

“Idiots. So what's the plan, Parker?” Fury said, simplifying his name.

“I will be in the cathedral tower keeping watch for the fire monster. When that shows up, I will radio you guys, and then Mr. Beck and I will-” he cut off reciting the plan as Beck interrupted him.

“My name is Mysterio,” Quentin teased, and Peter blinked at him, before continuing.

“That’s when Mysterio and I will move in,” Peter finished.

“Peter, listen to me,” Quentin said, getting serious, “The best hope you have, the only hope we have, is to stop it here and now, no matter what the cost. Keep it away from civilians if you can, but, most important, keep it away from metal. If it gets too big, it'll be able to draw power from the Earth's core. After that, there's no way to stop it.”

Peter swallowed, before looking over at Fury.

“I think we should call in more firepower,” Peter said after a moment. “I talked to Mom and she said Strange is more than willing to help. And she can be here if we need her. If this thing is really as big a deal as you say, then we may need her and Dad.”

“You talked to your mother?” Beck said, looking startled.

“Yeah?” he said, confused. Because what kid wasn’t expected to call their parents several times a day on class trips?

“Strange isn’t answering my calls,” Fury shrugged, “If you have a way to reach him then I’m all ears.”

“I can ask Mom to get in touch,” he nodded, before taking in a deep breath, “My friends are here, Mr Fury. And it seems like we’re putting them in danger with this plan.”

Fury stood abruptly at that.

“You're worried about us hurting your friends? You? Who called a drone strike on your own school tour bus? Stark gave you a multi-billion dollar AR tactical intelligence system and the first thing you do with it? You try and blow up your friends. Your mommy was the one who had to put out the fire. It's clear to me that you were not ready for this!”

Fury turned to leave the room, and he felt a sinking feeling in his chest.

“We’ll regroup in ten,” Hill said, giving him a nod, and Peter left the room, feeling like he was struggling to breathe. He made his way up to the rooftop, as he sat with his feet dangling off.

Were they right? Was he not ready for this?

He’d barely even been a hero by himself before. Toni had saved his butt with the Ferry. And his parents plus Rhodey had been the ones to help him take down the Vulture. He hadn’t done any of this on his own.

He was just a neighbourhood spider guy, helping old ladies cross the street and stopping the occasional bank robber.

What made him think that he was capable of taking on earth destroying elementals?

Mysterio flew up beside him, with his helmet on, as he hovered in front of him.

“Look,” Quentin started, “Fury asked me to come up here and see how you were doing. He just, he felt bad about snapping at you.”

“Really?” Peter asked, hating how hopeful he sounded.

“You guys do have sarcasm on this Earth, right?” Quentin said jokingly, and he couldn’t help but feel the pit in his stomach grow.

Of course Fury wasn’t sorry. Why would he be when he was right?

“How are you feeling?” Mr Beck asked him gently, as he sat beside Peter.

“I didn’t even want to come on this trip,” Peter confessed after a moment. “I was so worried that something would happen back home while I was away and that I wouldn’t be able to help keep my family safe. But instead, something happened while I’m here, and I feel like I’m all alone. Fury’s right. I’m not ready for this. I’m just a guy with a fancy suit who can stick to things.”

“You’re a teenager,” Mr Beck said sympathetically, “I bet you thought that you’d go on this trip and have a bit of a break. Win the girl over, make some memories. You didn’t expect this burden to be put on you. It’s a hard path, the one we’re on. You see things and you do things. You make choices. People look up to you.”

He paused, before continuing, “You're a good kid. There's a part of me that wants me to tell you, just...turn around, run away from all this. And then, there's another part of me that knows what we're about to fight. What's at stake. And I'm glad you're here. I’m sure your parents are really proud of you. Besides, your parents are Captain America and Iron Woman. If anyone can handle this, it’s you.”

“They are,” he said, knowing that Steve and Toni would always be on his side, no matter what. “But-”

“You’re worried about your friends,” Quentin said knowingly.

“Yeah,” he exhaled. “I just always feel like I'm putting them in danger.”

“Look,” Quentin offered, “Get them inside, and keep them in a safe place, for just a few hours. They’ll be alright.”

“Thanks,” Peter smiled, “It’s really nice to have someone else here to fight with, you know?”

“Any time,” Quentin smiled, before teasing, “And when we survive this, you’ll have all summer to kill Brad.” 

“Right,” Peter said, giving a small laugh. “Did you know them, where you’re from? My parents?”

Quentin paused at that, looking at the city in front of them.

“In passing,” Beck said finally, “Though your parents weren’t together where I was from. And your mother was a man.”

“What?” Peter balked. “My mother was a man?”

“Tony Stark,” Beck laughed.

“I can’t imagine a world where my parents weren’t together,” Peter said, feeling rattled. Because his parents were perfect together.

What would the world have been like if his parents didn’t have a relationship as strong as they did?

He couldn’t even bring himself to imagine it.

“We need to head back in,” Beck said, changing the subject, and Peter nodded.

He grabbed his backpack, before responding, “See you down there.”

Beck nodded, as he flew back down, leaving Peter to his thoughts.

He took EDITH out of his bag and placed the glasses back on, “EDITH?”

“Hello, Peter,” the AI said, as she active.

“I need a favour,” he said, “I need a way to keep my friends inside for a few hours.”

“Let’s see what we can do,” EDITH agreed. He took off the glasses as he put his mask back on.

“And KAREN?” he asked, activating his own AI. It had been a bit since he’d talked to his old friend, and he had something he needed her to do.

“Yes Peter?” KAREN asked.

“Can you contact Harry and Nat?” he asked her, “They were supposed to be on some secret mission, but they’re not, and I feel like something weird is happening.”

“I’ll investigate,” KAREN promised.

He looked down at the street in front of him, before taking a deep breath.

He was Spider-Man.

Whatever he was going to face in the next few hours, he’d be ready for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Peter, all alone in Europe with Beck and Fury hijacking his trip. Of course it would be one thing for all the Avengers to come out and help them, but that’s exactly what Mysterio doesn’t want… the last thing he needs is Toni Stark-Rogers coming and exposing him.


	4. Carnival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Mysterio take on the Fire Elemental

“I bet you’re all happy now that I had you pack a nice outfit,” Mr Harrington said loudly, as their group walked through the streets of Prague.

Turns out, a great way to keep everyone inside and not at the carnival, was to send their group to the opera. Something that his classmates were taking all too well when they found out the news. Ned, ever the loyalist, had been trying it hype it up like it wasn’t a completely awful experience, but all of his attempts were falling flat.

He was almost relieved that that he wouldn’t actually be attending.

Not that the alternative of fighting a giant Fire Elemental was preferable. But at least it wasn’t the opera.

His mom had taken him and Steve once, to see one of the ones that her mother had loved, and it hadn’t been a terrible affair.

But it had been long.

Painstakingly long.

And the alternative hadn’t been going to a fun carnival which they didn’t know was about to blow up.

Which made it all the more perfect of a way to keep his friends safe. Even if it was something they hated, at least they’d be alive. At least they wouldn’t be in harm’s way.

“Yeah,” Flash said sarcastically, “Because we’d much rather go to a four-hour opera instead of the biggest party in the world.”

“Again, don’t look at me,” Mr Dell said, as they trekked through a crowd of carnival goers. The street was filled with bright lights and enthusiastic people, and their energy somehow made his own groups’ seem like a funeral procession.

If the world wasn’t going to end today if he failed, then he’d sure as heck want to go to the festival.

“Parker, do you copy? Comm check, one, two,” Hill said through his earpiece, as he walked next to MJ. She gave him a curious look, as he looked anywhere but at her. Even if all he wanted to do was slip his hand through hers.

“Copy,” he said in a low voice, right as a set of fireworks went off, so MJ wouldn’t hear him. He knew Brad was walking behind them, suspiciously. The dude hadn’t confronted Peter about the missing photo from his phone, but it was clear that he’d suspected Peter had something to do with it. Even if he didn’t know just how Peter had managed to get into his phone to remove it.

He sure as hell wasn’t going to tell the guy that he had glasses from his mother that let him hack into his phone, but he’d nearly sent a drone after him in the process.

As they made their way into the opera hall, he wasn’t surprised to see the hall was empty, except for a few elderly attendees.

Because everyone else was at the carnival.

“Okay, we’re here,” Mr Harrington said with false cheer. “Beat the rush.”

“Yeah, the rush out,” Mr Dell said sarcastically. When even their teachers would rather be at the carnival, he knew that they’d all be resentful of him if they knew the truth. But well, it was what it was.

“Lucky for us, we got the best seats in the house,” Mr Harrington said, as his class made their way to the front of the theatre.

MJ stopped walking, and he paused to look at her. She was wearing a floral dress with her hair out, and he couldn’t help but notice just how lovely she looked.

“You look really pretty,” he said to her earnestly, as his heart raced.

“And therefore, I have value?” MJ shot back, and he panicked. He’d made a mess of things before he’d even known what he was saying.

That was not what he meant to say at all. It was nowhere near close. Oh God, how could he come back from this? Now that she thought that he was just some sort of shallow teenage boy-

“No!” he stumbled quickly, “That’s not what I meant at all. I was just-”

“I’m messing with you,” she laughed as her face filled with a smile.

He let out a relieved laugh of his own.

“Thank you,” she told him, and he wished he could kiss her right here.

“You’re welcome,” he commented.

“You look pretty too,” she told him, and he felt his face turn red.

“Thank you,” he repeated awkwardly.

Their moment was broken up by Betty and Ned who entered then.

“Oh, my gosh! Opera glasses!” Betty said as she picked one up.

“So cute,” Ned grinned.

“Wanna go in on a pair?” MJ asked him awkwardly.

“You mean, let’s sit next to each other?” he asked her, feeling his heart race.

“Yeah,” she confirmed.

He hated those elemental monsters all the more.

“Are you in position?” Fury asked him, and he forgot about MJ’s question for a second as his mind blanked.

“No,” he responded to Fury, before freezing, knowing how MJ would take it.

“Okay?” MJ said a bit confused, “No you don’t want to sit next to me?”

“Why the hell not, Parker?” Fury asked him annoyed.

“Or no you just don’t want the glasses?” MJ asked, and his panic intensified.

He needed to exit, now.

“I didn’t mean that!” he said quickly. “If you go ahead, I’ll grab us a pair.

“I’ll save you a seat next to me,” MJ smiled again, and he hated that he would be flaking on her. But the alternative was that she’d be dead, and he’d be dead, and they’d all be dead if the fire monster won. And that was much worse.

“Awesome,” he said, as she turned to make her way to the front of the theatre.

“Parker Stark-Rogers,” Fury repeated.

“I’m coming, just give me a second,” he said, as Betty walked past him, and Ned stopped, knowing his was about to leave.

“I gotta go,” Peter told his friend, as Ned nodded, “Could you tell MJ that I’m sick or something? And that I’m really sorry? Can you also buy her a pair of glasses?”

He thrust a bill into his friend’s hands.

“Be careful,” Ned said back to him, “And Peter, whatever you do, please steer the monster away from the opera house.”

“Yeah, I know,” he sighed.

He turned to leave then, before anyone spotted him, and he looked back at MJ one last time as the opera started. He saw Brad sit next to MJ and he felt a sense of anger wash over him. Save the world. Lose the girl.

“Coming,” Peter told Fury, as he bolted out of the opera house.

He swung up to the top of the building discreetly, moving along the rooftops after discarding his suit and donning the black spider outfit SHIELD had provided him. It had nothing on the suits his mom made with him, but it was discreet. And it would protect his identity.

He swung over to get into position, looking down onto the carnival below.

“All right. I’m in position. Uh…As soon as I see something, Beck, I’ll let you know,” Peter said, a bit unsure.

“Roger that,” Beck said over the comms.

“How’s the suit?” Fury asked him. “Come close to what your mother can make?”

“Not even remotely,” he grinned, as Fury let out a short laugh.

“Energy spiking,” Fury noted.

“We have seismic activity,” Hill confirmed, and he took a deep breath. It was happening. The fire monster was about to attack.

He had modified the mask he’d been given earlier that day, to add in a comm line back to the Stark tower so he could be in contact with his mom and dad. He didn’t know why, but Fury still hadn’t managed to contact them or Strange, and he knew something was amiss. But he didn’t have time to dwell on that now.

It started with smoke gathering at the statue in the centre of the carnival, followed by fire moving quickly, wrapping itself around the base, before devouring it where it stood.

And all that remained was a Fire Elemental, in the centre of the crowd.

He could hear screams from below him, as he knew it was time, “Okay he’s here! Beck, are you ready?”

“On your lead, Spider-Man,” Beck said through the comms.

The elemental began to smash through the carnival as the people in attendance ran away in fear, and he felt an iota of relief that his friends were safe.

Quentin landed in front of the monster, and his hands glowed green, shooting the monster twice with laser beams.

“You’re up, kid,” Beck said, and Peter swing in front of it, hitting a fire hydrant with a web shooter, as he pulled it out of the ground. Immediately water flooded upwards and hit the elemental straight in the chest, enveloping it.

As the steam cleared, the elemental remained, enraged, as it roared and charged forward, attempting to punch Peter.

He backflipped away from it, landing on the carousel in front of him, as the monster destroyed it before Peter could gather his bearings.

“No!” he screamed out, as he tried to get off the ground. The monster was absorbing the carousel, holding up the metallic pieces, “Beck! He’s got the carousel! He’s getting bigger!”

“Night Monkey, help!” he heard screaming, and he looked up to see Ned and Betty trapped on the Ferris wheel.

What the heck?

They were supposed to be at the opera! He’d planned for them to be safe and away from here.

“Save us!” Betty called out again. “We’re stuck!”

“Oh, no, no, no,” he said, feeling panic wash over him.

His friends were in danger.

He turned around to see the growing Fire Elemental approach them, roaring loudly, and he tried shooting his web shooters at it, only for them to catch on fire as the fire moved towards him.

The Fire Elemental moved to bring its fist down on Peter, as Beck landed then, shielding him from the attack.

“Are you okay?” Peter asked him quickly, as the Elemental struggled to break through the barrier.

“On to Plan B?” Beck groaned, struggling to keep it up.

“Yeah!” Peter said, “We just gotta hit him with something he can’t absorb.”

“I go left, you go right, now!” Beck said, as he brought down the barrier. Peter lunged right, as the Elemental began chasing after him, throwing fire balls at him. He narrowly managed to avoid it, as he swung up to the top of a building, grabbing a rock and throwing it at the Elemental, using a lamp post to give him momentum as he swung.

He watched the shot hit him, as the monster roared in pain.

“Okay, shoot him!” Peter screamed.

“Yeah!” Beck said, flying in as he shot at the monster. He could see the green absorb in his chest, and they knew they’d made their mark, “That hurt him. Keep it coming!”

He used his webs then, grabbing more fallen concrete, as he chucked it at the fire monster, and Beck shot at it in coordination. The monster was less than pleased, as it used the chance to whack Beck out of the air.

“Spider-Man, keep your distance!” Beck warned him.

“I’m trying!” Peter said.

“We can’t let him get near the Ferris wheel!” Beck said urgently, as the monster moved towards it.

“I’m on it!” Peter said quickly. This would be so much easier if they had reinforcements.

He fell to the ground, as the Elemental roared at him, before hitting down near him. He watched in horror as the ground cracked open, with a trail of fire moving quickly towards the Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel that Betty and Ned were trapped on.

He could hear Betty and Ned’s screams, and given the way the Elemental was moving, he knew it did too.

It moved towards the tipping Ferris wheel, with its’ hand extended outwards, as Beck flew in front of it, blasting directly at its hands. Peter used the opportunity to run to the Ferris wheel, trying to web it, only to have his web hit something he couldn’t quite see.

“Whoa, what is that?” Peter asked in confusion.

He didn’t ponder on it further as the Ferris wheel began to rock, and he used the opportunity instead to swing upwards and web it in place.

He could see the green lasers begin to break the monster apart, and he cheered, “That’s it! Nice! Nice! You got him!”

The monster backed up into falling wood, as he absorbed it with a grin.

“No, no, no,” Beck said quickly, as the monster began to grow in size.

“It’s too late,” Hill said over the comms.

He felt his chest begin to sink.

“What are you going to do?” he asked the man desperately.

He felt a sense of panic fill over him. Like how he’d felt when he saw Toni go into that portal. When he saw his family fight against Thanos.

Beck’s mask came back on, as he looked at the elemental, “What I should have done last time,” Beck said simply.

“Beck, don’t do it!” he screamed, but the man didn’t listen. He began to gather all his power, as the green lights hovered around his arms, and he screamed in pain.

He flew towards the monster quickly, as he hit it in the chest. Green began to wash all over the monster as it crumbled to the ground, releasing green energy throughout the city.

As the light cleared, all that remained was Beck, lying on the middle of the ground.

Peter dropped down then, approaching the man carefully, “Mr Beck?”

He rolled him over gently and was glad he could see him breathing still.

“Oh thank Darwin,” he let out a relieved remark, as he helped pull the man to his feet.

“So, it’s over?” Hill asked, as she approached them then, with Fury circling around Beck.

“That was the last of them,” Beck confirmed.

“But not the last threat we'll ever face. We need to stay vigilant. There's a void in this world for someone like you. Hill and I are going to Europol headquarters in Berlin tomorrow. You should join us,” Fury told him.

Quentin clasped onto Fury’s hands, “Thank you. I just might take you up on that.”

“You got gifts, Parker,” Fury said pointedly, “But you didn’t want to be here. Your parents didn’t want you to be here.”

“Mr Fury-” He tried as the man cut him off.

“I’d love to have you join us too,” Fury told him, “But you’re going to need to decide if you’re ready to step out of your mother and father’s shadow and be your own man. They made you an Avenger for a reason. I need that. The world needs that. But if you want to stay at home and continue to be the scared little boy, then that’s all you’ll ever be.”

He felt a sense of distress pass over him.

How many times had he feared that he’d never be good enough on his own? Every battle he’d faced, he had someone else with him helping. He’d never been a hero on his own.

“The choice is yours,” Fury told him simply, before turning to walk away.

He felt the pressure crushing down on him, and he really. wanted to get out of here. He wanted to go back to the hotel. To check on Ned and Betty and call his parents.

He was seventeen years old, but he still wanted his parents to reassure him that everything was okay.

He swallowed, as he sensed Beck approach him.

“Let’s get a drink,” Quentin said, clapping him on the back. “You’ve earned it.”

“I’m not twenty-one,” Peter argued.

“Drinking age here is eighteen,” Beck grinned, “Besides, I’ll get you a coke. It doesn’t need to be alcohol.”

He was hesitant as he felt Beck press him forward, “Come on. You look like you could use it. You can tell me all about your life and what it’s like growing up with Toni Stark and Steve Rogers as your parents.”

He froze at that as the distrust he’d built over the years kicked in. Usually when people wanted to know about his parents, they wanted to know about them for one reason.

But Beck wasn’t like that, right?

He nodded, as he followed the man to a bar nearby, texting Ned to ask him if he was alright. He couldn’t even imagine how terrifying it must have been to have been trapped on that ferris wheel with no way off.

“I’ll get a pint of whatever’s on tap,” Beck said, “And a coke for him.”

If the bartender was curious about their costumes, she chose not to say anything. He knew it was a risk being out like this, given that they’d just fought a public battle in the centre of the city.

“Hey,” Beck said, as they were handed their drinks. “You gotta celebrate, you did something good tonight.”

“Yeah,” he said, a bit dejected. “Though you did all the heavy lifting.”

Beck patted him on the back.

“What’s on your mind, Kid?” Beck asked him gently.

“Fury was right,” he swallowed, “I do rely on my parents a lot. I know they love me and that they’d do anything for me. And I love them too. But I’m only where I am today because of them. I don’t think I’d be able to take on any big villains by myself. And can I even call myself a superhero if not?”

“There’s nothing wrong with being part of a team,” Beck told him, “Your parents are both Avengers. They take on the big threats together. Why can’t you also be part of a team? Besides, they weren’t the ones who were here today. They were at home, retired. You were the one who fought against the Fire Elemental.”

“With your help,” Peter commented.

“With my help,” Beck said, “But I needed your help too. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”

He looked at the man in disbelief, “You flew into him and destroyed him from the inside,” Peter said. “I think you would have been fine without me.”

“Maybe,” Beck said simply, “Maybe not. But you are a hero, Peter. Regardless of what anyone else says. You. Are. A. Hero.”

He looked back down at his drink.

“It’s also okay if you don’t want to be,” Beck said after a moment.

“What?” Peter asked, a bit confused.

“You weren’t really given much of a choice, Peter,” Beck said softly, “Your parents are heroes. The most famous heroes of all time, arguably. Your mother is Iron Woman; she’s basically the first modern day hero. And your father, Captain America, was the first hero in history. It’s no wonder you decided to take up the mantle to be a hero yourself. But I want you to know that it’s okay if you don’t want to be. You’re allowed to also be a normal kid.”

“I didn’t become a hero because of them,” Peter said, feeling a little confused, “It was my own choice. They weren’t even happy when they found out that I was one. They wanted me to stay out of it, and if it weren’t for my powers, I don’t think they would have even let me wear a suit otherwise.”

“What else were you supposed to do?” Beck asked, “You have powers. You have means. And you have a good heart. But being a hero is not something that comes lightly. No one should take it lightly. No one is going to blame you if you decided you didn’t want to do this anymore. No one blames your parents for deciding they want to be normal. Why would they blame you for deciding you wanted to be a teenager?”

“What are you suggesting?” Peter asked, confused.

“Your parents left the world in the hands of others,” Beck told him, “In Strange’s hands, and the rest of the Avengers. And even when they were busy, I stepped up. Someone else will always be there to step up. So if you wanted to take a step back, there would be others to fill your place. What do _you_ want, Peter?”

He felt a rush of emotions pass over him, as he felt overwhelmed.

Because on one hand, if he was a normal person, he wouldn’t have to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders. He could be a normal kid. He could hang out with MJ and tell her how he felt. He could go to university without pressure. He could do things after school other than trying to keep his city safe.

But the thought didn’t _feel right_.

He had become Spider-Man because he wanted to keep the city safe from things like what happened to his Uncle. He wanted to save lives. He wanted to help people. Because he had been given powers. Because it was in his nature. Not because he had to, but because he _wanted to_.

And sure, it would be nice if he could have gone to the carnival tonight like a normal teen with MJ if the world hadn’t been about to end. Or gone to the opera and shared glasses with her. Or even just spent time with her on the trip and not spend the entire time running around saving the world.

But could he really sit on the sidelines when the world needed him?

They were interrupted then by a woman who came up from behind him and handed him the EDITH glasses.

“Thank you so much!” he said, a little startled. He hadn’t even realized he’d dropped them. When had he dropped them?

“What are those?” Beck said, sounding a bit interested, “Are those the-?”

“EDITH glasses?” Peter asked, “Yeah.”

“It was just on the floor?” Beck said, and he felt a sense of guilt, “Try them on, let's see how they look on you.”

He put them on carefully, and looked at Beck, “I really like them. Mom did a great job with these.”

“Can I be completely honest with you?” Beck asked, and he nodded, “They look really stupid. I think Toni Stark might have missed the mark with these.”

He looked confused. Everyone else had thought they looked really good. As did he.

Maybe it was a generational thing? Or an alternate universe thing?

“But maybe they have a contact-lens version of them,” Beck prompted, as he gestured his hand over, wanting to try them on.

Peter frowned, knowing how sceptical her mother was about handing her technology over to strangers that she didn’t know. But they only worked for him, right? So was there any real harm?”

He took them off, as he handed them to Beck, and the screen remained inactivated.

“How do I look?” Beck asked him, and Peter laughed.

“I think they look way better on me,” Peter grinned, as he looked up and saw a clock. It was getting rather late, and he knew he should head back to the hotel. “I should probably go. After today, my teachers might get worried if they can’t find me. Especially after the news of the attack breaks.”

Beck looked disappointed at that, “Just promise me you’ll think about taking it easy. Being a normal kid, okay?”

“I promise,” Peter told him honestly. He had no plans to step back, but he knew the man meant well.

“Say it like a nerd,” Beck teased him, “Tell me you confirm. Or affirmative.”

“I confirm it?” Peter said, a little confused.

“Thanks, Parker,” Beck grinned, standing up, as he reached into his pocket, “That’s just what I needed you to say. I was hoping to do this the easy way but looks like we’re going to have to do this the hard way instead.”

Peter felt his spider senses acting up as the man pulled a device out of his pocket. He moved to stand up quickly, but before he could, the man had flashed a bright light in front of him, and the world went black.


	5. Drones and Mirrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter makes a startling discovery

“Oh my God, Peter!” a loud voice said, and Peter groaned as he struggled to sit up in his bed. Ned immediately pulled him into a hug, as he wore a flush bathrobe.

“Hey,” Peter said, looking a little confused. Last he’d remembered, he’d been with Beck at the bar. How did he back here?

What had happened?

“We almost died,” Ned said, looking distressed, and Peter immediately felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He’d been supposed to protect his friends. It was why he wanted them to go to the opera! Instead, Ned and Betty had nearly died. And what had he done afterward? He’d gone out with Beck. Instead of making sure his childhood friend was okay.

What kind of person did that make him?

“It’s fine,” Peter said, relieved that his friend was okay. He looked down, surprised that he was no longer wearing the dark Spider-Man outfit, and instead his opera clothes. Did someone change him?

“Why are you in bed?” Ned asked, a little confused.

“I…don’t know,” Peter said a bit unsure, “But the mission is finally over. Those monsters have been defeated. Once and for all.”

“Good,” Ned said in relief, “But dude, the trip’s over.”

His heart began to beat faster.

What? But he hadn’t even given MJ the Black Dahlia yet! How could it be over when he’d barely had a chance to enjoy it?

“There’s monsters coming out of the ground everywhere we go,” Ned told him with a roll of his eyes, “Of course our parents would want us home.”

“Right,” Peter swallowed.

“Ned, is Peter back yet?” Mr Harrington knocked on the door, as Ned opened it, “Oh Peter! You’re not dead! Oh my God! Yes, good! Stay here and don’t die, okay? And Ned, put some clothes on. We’re booking flights!”

He left the door wide open as Ned and Peter exchanged a look.

“We came for science, and we’re leaving because of witches,” Mr Dell walked by with a shake of his head, “Welcome to the new Dark Ages.”

And Peter didn’t blame him. All this Elemental stuff was pretty terrifying.

“What’s going on?” he asked, a bit confused.

“We’re going home in the morning,” Ned said solemnly, and he felt himself panic.

“What why? All the elementals are gone now! We defeated them all!” Peter said quickly.

“Ned!” Betty called from down the hall, as Ned peered out of the room.

“Coming, Sweetie!” Ned responded.

“Hi, can you guys keep it down,” Flash said as he opened the door across the hall, right before MJ opened her room door.

He felt his heart race in his chest. Had she enjoyed the opera next to Brad?

“Hey,” she greeted.

“Yeah,” he told Flash. “Hey, MJ.”

“Where were you?” she asked him, crossing her arms.

“I got lost?” he asked, knowing there was no way she’d buy that.

“Right,” she said, looking skeptical. “Lost. We were worried about you.”

“Oh,” he felt his heart in his chest. She was?

“Good thing you’re back,” she said, giving him a small smile.

“Yeah,” he said, grinning brightly in response.

“So much for Paris, right?” she threw her arms up, and he sighed. All he’d wanted to do was tell her how he felt. And he hadn’t been able to.

“Would’ve been fun,” he said, a little put out.

“Yeah,” she said, before quickly adding, “Night.”

“You look ni-” he tried to add, but she’d already closed the door on him.

He let out a disappointed sigh.

This was not how he wanted this trip to go at all.

He had had a plan. He was going to take MJ to the top of the Eiffel tower and he was going to tell her how he felt. But with everything gone on, those plans had been quickly derailed.

He felt a sense of hopelessness. Was this how it was going to be for the rest of his life? He has plans to do things, then life gets in the way, and Spider-Man gets in the way, and he can’t do those things?

Steve and Toni made it work. Even as superheroes. Even with a billion things going on in their lives, they made it work. They always made time for each other, even life was getting in their way.

He took a deep breath.

This trip was not going to end like this.

He moved to knock on MJ’s door.

Only for her to open it right before he could do so.

His breath hitched in his throat.

“Oh!” she said, a bit surprised to see him there, and a part of him wanted to kick himself.

“Hey,” he said, feeling like an idiot.

“Hey,” she said, sounding unsure. Did she feel just as awkward about all of this as he clearly did?

“Look,” he started, not really sure what he was doing. But it was too late to stop himself, “I’m not ready for this trip to be over yet. I feel like it’d barely begun, and I didn’t get to do half the things I wanted to do. Do you want to do something that’s fun, that’s not on the itinerary, or planned out, or with Mr Harrington?”

He waited for her to respond, “Yes.”

“Like you want to go?” he squeaked.

“Yes,” she smiled, and he grinned widely.

“Okay, awesome,” he smiled, “I’ll meet you outside in 10.”

“Five,” she argued, and his heart fluttered.

“Five it is,” he said, as he closed the door and quickly changed into a sweater and jeans. He attempted to brush his hair, before running down the stairs to meet MJ as she came.

She’d thrown a sweater over her dress, and her hair was still nicely done. He’d smiled to himself as he saw her, as he felt the glasswork burn in his back pocket.

“So where do you wanna go?” he asked, after greeting her.

“Who cares?” she asked, sounding a bit unsure. And MJ never sounded unsure.

“Awesome,” he said, as the two of them exited the hotel together. They walked out onto a bridge, lit by lampposts, and he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the sight was. “I’m glad we’re doing this.”

“Yeah, me too,” MJ said, glancing over at him.

“To see the city a little bit,” he said as they walked beside each other.

“You know they used to execute people on this bridge. They would like put them in a basket and they would like drown them in water. Sorry,” she said, catching herself, sounding a bit self-conscious.

“It’s okay. I like listening to you talk. And to all the facts you know,” he smiled, as their hands brushed before they both quickly pulled them away, “Uh, like, there’s this thing I’ve been wanting to talk to you about for a while.”

“Yeah?” she asked him, stopping to turn around so she could look at him.

“It’s our last night in Europe and I had this plan that I wanted to tell you,” he exhaled, pulling the flower out of his pocket. “You can ask Ned about that. Because I just wanted this to be perfect. But it feels like everything just kinda went wrong, you know? With the elementals and stuff? But I’m just gonna, I’m just gonna tell you. Uh, MJ I-”

“am Spider-Man,” she interrupted him.

“What?” his brain froze, unable to comprehend anything else she was saying.

“That’s what you were gonna say, right?” she said like it was obvious, “That you’re Spider-Man.”

“No,” he said quickly. How did she know? “I’m not Spider-Man.”

“I mean I’ve been watching you for like a while now it’s kind of obvious,” she said, and he wondered if he’d misread everything. He thought she was watching him because she’d had feelings for him. But the entire time she was figuring out his big secret.

“I’m not Spider-Man. I mean what would make you think that I was Spider-Man?” he asked quickly, wanting to dissuade her as quickly as possible.

“Peter, Washington,” she said simply.

“Yeah?” he asked, hating that she’d caught onto that fact.

“The fact that you like disappear, out of nowhere, for no reason,” she said again.

“No I was sick!” he cut in quickly, “Remember, I had my, the tummy-”

“Susan Yang thinks that you’re a male escort,” she told him, and he felt incredulous. That was what his classmates thought he was doing? Escorting? “Which is ridiculous because your parents are loaded so it’s not like you need money. But she thinks you like doing it for the attention it gives you.”

“What, no, of course I’m not a male escort!” he said quickly.”

“Then you’re Spider-Man,” she said, sounding a bit pleased, like escorting or superheroing were the only two logical explanations for the current situation.

“No, I’m not Spider-Man!” he said again.

“What about tonight?” she crossed her arms, “I saw you sneak out, Peter. You fought that thing. I saw that too.”

“You can’t have seen me because I’m not Spider-Man and also on the news it was the Night Monkey!” he said, remembering what he’d seen on the news while waiting for MJ.

“The Night Monkey,” she repeated, like it was ridiculous.

“That’s what it said on the news!” he said, “And the news never lies.”

Right. His mother and father would definitely disagree with him there

“Night Monkey,” she laughed, “Okay.”

She took off her backpack, “What are you doing?” he asked her.

“Well do the Night Monkey and Spider-Man use the same webs?” she asked as she pulled out an object from her bag.

“I mean, maybe? Maybe he’s a spider monkey. Who knows,” he said, before asking the question he was dreading, “Were you only watching me because you thought I was Spider-Man?”

“Yeah. Why else would I be watching you?” she questioned after a moment, and his heart dropped. Well, he guessed he had his answer then.

“Doesn’t matter,” he said quickly, “Just thought that maybe-”

She pressed a button then, dropping the device, as the Air Elemental appeared before them, before quickly disappearing again.

“What the hell was that?” he asked, heart racing.

“I don’t know,” MJ said, sounding just as startled.

He bent down, to pick up the device and look it over.

“What is that like some kind of projector or something?” she asked, and he looked at the tech. It was extremely advanced. Like the sort of thing his mother would have in her lab. So what was it doing out here?

“Yeah,” he said, a bit confused.

“It looked so real,” MJ said said.

“Yeah, really real,” he said, mind racing. Because if it looked that real then did that mean-

“Wait a minute, does that mean that-” MJ said, reaching the same conclusion as him.

“The Elementals are fake?” he confirmed. “But that doesn’t make any sense because we were there right? There was fire and destruction and… who would do something like that?”

The damage done to each sight after the Elementals attacked had been monumental. They’d destroyed historical sights. Countless cities. With millions if not billions, of dollars worth of damages.

The device activated again, showing the cyclone. But this time Mysterio was fighting with it.

“Mysterio?” MJ asked, surprised, and the pieces began to fit in Peter’s head, one by one. Why Mysterio kept asking about his parents. His eagerness to bond with Peter. Why he’d woken up back at the hotel room of no idea how he’d gotten there.

What he hadn’t checked was if he still had the glasses.

He needed to get back to the room right away.

But first, he knew he owed MJ an explanation.

He didn’t like many people to know the truth about him. Ned found out but not by his own desire for his friend to know. And the more people who knew, the more danger they were in.

But he owed her this. Regardless of any unrequited feelings he may have for her, she was his friend. He trusted her. And she deserved to know.

“You’re right,” he said, turning to face her, “I am Spider-Man. And I think Mysterio has been playing me this entire time.”

“Wait, you’re being serious right now? MJ said a bit shocked, and he agreed, “You’re not joking with me like you’re a hundred percent serious cause it’s not funny.”

He shook his head, “No, I’m not joking. I promise this is the truth.”

“Cause I was only like sixty seven percent sure,” she rambled. “Why are you here? Why are you on this school trip? Were you there with your parents when Thanos attacked! Oh my God, Peter! Shouldn’t you be doing hero things?”

“MJ!” he cut her rambling off, “I know you have a lot of questions. But if this is real. If Mysterio really isn’t who he says he is, then we need to stop him. And I think he stole something very valuable from me. We need to get back to the hotel, okay?”

“Okay,” she took a deep breath, “I can’t believe I figured it out.”

The two of them took off running back to the hotel, as Peter ran up the stairs to his hotel room.

“You are in way better shape than I thought you’d be,” MJ remarked, as they cleared the stairs, “Though I guess that does make sense.”

He made it to the room and he began rummaging around for the glasses in his bag. He checked the suit pockets, the bag pockets, his opera outfit pockets.

But it wasn’t there.

Beck had taken it from him.

Shit.

His mother was going to be furious. He’d lost billion-dollar glasses. Glasses that were capable of great harm. And now they were in the hands of Quentin Beck.

“I need to get the glasses back before Beck does something with them!” he told her as he paced anxiously, “He’s probably spying them on me or gonna send some sort of drone to come and kill me. Who knows what he’s going to do with them!”

“You had access to killer drones?” she raised a brow at him.

“Yeah, I mean I didn’t really want them though. Not after I nearly killed Brad,” he rambled, before cutting himself off. He turned his laptop off the internet, and shut the blinds.

“You almost killed Brad?” she asked, voice rising.

“Look,” he said picking up his phone. “I have to call Mr. Fury and tell him that Beck's a fraud, but, I think he tapped my phone.”

“Okay, so what are you going to do?” she asked him carefully.

There was really only one thing he could do. He needed to do this face to face.

“I need to get my suit, and I have to go to Berlin to talk to Mr Fury in person,” he said, knowing what needed to be done.

He dumped the contents of his bag onto the bed, and stripped out of his shirt before realizing what he’d done. He looked over at MJ, stopping to stare at her.

It took her a few seconds as she coughed awkwardly and turned around.

He breathed heavily as he pulled his pants off as well and tugged the stealth suit onto his body. Everyone already thought he was Night Monkey anyways. So might as well be Night Monkey.

He turned around then, as he saw Ned enter the room. He took off the eye visors, “Ned! Perfect!”

“The costume looks great!” Ned said quickly, “For the costume, at the Prince’s castle.”

He ended a bit lamely.

“She knows,” Peter said, appreciating that Ned was doing his best to keep his secret. “I told her.”

“He didn’t tell me,” MJ said smugly, “I figured it out.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” Ned said, a bit put out.

“Like a long time ago,” she added.

“Look,” Peter cut them both off, “Mysterio is a fraud.”

“But he saved mine and Betty’s lives!” Ned said, a bit confused.

“He didn’t,” Peter told him. “He's using these, like, hologram projectors.”

“Illusion tech,” MJ supplied.

“Whoa,” Ned’s eyes widened, “That’s crazy.”

He shared a glance with MJ, and Ned looked a bit jealous.

“Were you guys like, working the case together, or what?” Ned said, put out.

“It’s mostly been me,” MJ shrugged.

“Look, Ned, can you call my Mom and Dad? Ask them to tell Mr Harrington that they wanted me to stay in a safe house in Berlin and that they wanted to come get me personally or something. And can you tell them what’s happening? I need to turn all my technology off in case he tries to hack them. Including Karen since EDITH can access her.”

“Got it,” Ned nodded. “Easy. Just gotta call Iron Woman. No big deal. And Captain America.”

“You met them like a hundred times,” MJ deadpanned, “I can do it if it’s too hard for you.”

“No, he asked me to do it!” Ned cut her off.

She raised her hands in surrender.

“I gotta go,” Peter said, raising the window to exit the building.

“Wait, wait wait!” MJ stopped him, and his heart began to race again. “The projector! You’re gonna need it.”

He let out a disappointed exhale. This was not how he wanted the night to go at all.

“Right. Thanks,” he said, “Don't tell anyone about this, okay? Anyone who knows is in danger.”

He jumped out of the window then, and began to make his way towards the train station. It was going to be a long ride, but it was the best way he could get there without anyone noticing him.

* * *

Peter swung a web over the crowd as the train he was hitching a ride on pulled into Berlin.

As he landed on the ground, he approached the nearest person, “Uh excuse me, do you know where-”

“Nacht Monkey!” she screamed as she took one look at him and took off running.

Great. People were apparently terrified of him here.

“No, wait, I didn’t…aw, man!” he sighed, as he turned around before nearly getting hit by a black Audi. As the car windows were rolled down, Peter Parker Stark-Rogers was relieved to see none other than Nick Fury sitting in the driver’s seat.

“Get in,” Fury said simply, and Peter quickly obliged as the car took off, driving through Berlin.

He ripped his mask off, “Mr Fury!” he said in relief.

“You've got a lot of explaining to do,” Fury told him simply.

“No, no, no, listen!” Peter said quickly, needing to tell the man why he’d come.

“Wait until we're secure,” Fury cut him off.

“Okay,” he sighed, as Fury indicated for Peter to put his seatbelt on, “Right.”

He struggled to pull on the belt, realizing that it must have been stuck, and he pulled it harder before it broke off. He sheepishly looked at the man who glared at him.

“That’s gonna come out of your Momma’s pocket,” Fury told him simply.

He nodded glumly, as he sat in silence for the rest of the car ride. When they’d finally entered the SHIELD building, he was a bit shocked to see that many people inside of it. He knew SHIELD had been slowly recovering since everything with HYDRA, but he’d gotten the impression that they still weren’t operating at full capacity. Even with his mother and father helping the, get it back up running.

“So, is there anything you want to tell us about your girlfriend?” Fury asked, and Peter frowned. What did MJ have to do with this? Not that she was his girlfriend. Or that she even wanted to be his girlfriend.

“He’s talking about EDITH,” Hill clarified at his confused expression.

“I don’t know what happened,” Peter exhaled. “All I know is that I went to a bar with Mysterio after everything, and when I woke up, the glasses were gone. Beck isn’t who he says he is. Mysterio, the Elementals, all of it. It’s fake. He has some sort of illusion tech that he’s been using and it’s how he tricked you guys and probably has something to do with how he stole EDITH from me.”

He pulled the projector out of his bag and placed it on the table.

“It’s a projector. I pulled it off the fire monster in Prague,” he told them.

Fury looked skeptical, “So all that death and destruction we witnessed was caused by this?”

“No,” Peter shook his head, “Not just this. I think he’s using drones too. He staged all of this.”

“Well, if this is true, then Beck's very dangerous and we need to be smart. Who else did you tell about this?” Fury asked him, and Peter felt his spider senses activate then.

“Why?” he asked, eyes narrowing slightly. Because why did it matter who else knew?

“Parker?” Fury asked him, “Parker!”

“What’s wrong?” Hill asked, and he looked around the room.

“It’s Beck,” Peter said, still not certain what was happening, “He’s here.”

The illusions began to crumble then. Hill disappeared. Then the fancy facility disappeared. Leaving nothing but a rundown building where they stood.

“It’s just a illu-” he started, before getting cut off as Fury was shot backwards.

He looked up to see a drone. It moved to take another shot, and before he could react, he was pushed several floors down.

“Wow, Peter. Wow. I thought we were close. Fury always had to die. But not you,” Beck’s voice taunted, as he heard it call out around him.

“Stop hiding, Beck!” he screamed. The drones each aimed lasers at him, and he wasn’t all that sure he’d be fast enough to dodge them all.

The drones activated then, and he was surrounded by darkness, as Beck appeared in front of him.

“I wanted you to walk away. I didn’t want to hurt a kid. But you’re too much like your mother. Too stubborn to take a step back. Always needing to prove how much better you are than me.”

He looked down and saw himself wearing the suit Toni had made for him, as Mysterio approached him.

He tried to blast the man, only for him to disappear. Mysterio appeared behind him then, and as he punched his helmet, the illusion crumbled away.

“You told me you were just a kid. You told me that you became a hero because it was _what was right_. But when have you ever truly suffered?” Mysterio called out.

“Help me!” he heard MJ’s voice, and he pushed through a door, only to nearly fall off the ledge. He looked over to see her standing there beside him. “Peter, what’s going on?”

She sounded terrified, and she looked so realistic. But it couldn’t be the truth. Not when she was heading back to London.

“I know this isn’t real,” Peter said, as Mysterio appeared from the moon that had been in the sky.”

“Do you, though?” Mysterio said smugly, as he grabbed her by the neck and tossed her off the Eiffel Tower.

“MJ!” he screamed, as he jumped after her, only to crash on the ground.

“I don’t think you know what’s real, Peter,” Mysterio said, voice sounding deeper and deeper. He was thrust through New York city, feeling like he was falling through air.

As the illusions faded, he saw himself on the ground outside the building, having landed on a car parked outside it.

He struggled to get away, as the illusions followed him, shards of glass landing all around him.

“I mean look at yourself,” Beck said, and he reached forward to touch his reflection, as it grabbed onto him, and hundreds of ‘Spider-Mans’ began to pile on top of him. “You are just a scared little kid in a sweatsuit!”

And as he stood back up, he was back in that suit he’d made for himself in the beginning. The one Toni had locked up tightly for memory sake but refused to ever let him wear again.

“I created Mysterio to give the world someone to believe in,” Beck said, as he stood beside a fallen monument of his father. “I control the truth! Mysterio is the truth.”

And right in front of him, a giant monument of Mysterio stood tall.

Mysterio landed behind him then, shooting him with green lasers, and Peter jumped into the air, shooting webs at the man.

A giant boulder was brought down on him, and he braced himself to cover his body. And as it vanished, he looked up to see his mother in her wedding dress, and his father in his suit beside her.

“I bet your parents regret their decision to take you in,” Mysterio taunted, and he looked up to see an image of his mother and father, with Steve’s arms wrapped around Toni’s waist.

“It’s true,” Toni told him. “I regretted it every day since I did. You are not my son. You are just some boy I took in off the streets.”

“You aren’t a real hero,” Steve told him, in a disappointed Captain America tone. “You’re just a kid in a suit, who can barely hold their own. You’re nothing without us behind you.”

“Deep down, you know I’m right,” Beck said, as his parents turned to walk away, before vanishing in the distance, surrounded by Morgan, Meg, and Jamie.

Their real children.

Peter tried to run from the vision, only to hit his head on a glass wall. Buildings began to emerge from around him, of the New York Skyline, as he realized he was in a snow globe in Beck’s hands.

“You made your choice,” Beck said, “And all you had to do was step aside. And now, you ha-”

He was cut off by the sound of a shot, as the illusion crumbled around him.

Peter saw Beck fall, as Fury approached, with armed vehicles pulling up to the scene.

Peter let out a sigh of relief.

It was over.

It was really and truly over.

“Fury!” he cried out, as he crawled towards the man.

“Beck’s people,” Fury said, “We’re trying to find everyone who could expose him. Who’d you tell?”

“Uh,” Peter hesitated.

“Parker I know you. I know you told someone. So tell me who did you tell? Who else did you tell?!”

“Just MJ and Ned from my class!” Peter said quickly, “And maybe Ned told his girlfriend Betty? But that’s it!”

Nick Fury laughed as he shook his head.

“You,” Fury started, “Are so gullible.”

And just like that, Peter knew he’d made a mistake.

“What?” Peter asked, panic filling him.

“I mean, you're smart as a whip. Just a-” Fury’s voice suddenly changed in Beck’s then, “-sucker.”

And suddenly, Fury turned back into Beck.

“And now all your friends have to die,” Beck said without sympathy.

“Oh my God,” Peter stumbled backwards, as he was thrust back into the illusion, with building parts collapsing all around him.

“It's easy to fool people when they're already fooling themselves. But for what it's worth, Peter... I really am sorry,” Beck said.

The illusion lifted then, and Peter looked at the man in confusion.

And before he could ask why, Peter Parker Stark-Rogers was hit by a train.


End file.
